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SHEEP MANAGEMENT 



A HANDBOOK 

FOR THE 

SHEPHERD AND STUDENT 



BY 

FRANK KLEINHEINZ 

INSTRUCTOR IN SHEEP HUSBANDRY, 
UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN 



PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR 

MADISON. WIS. 

19 11 









«.* 



COPYRIGHT 1911 
By FRANK KLEINHEINZ 

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 



y' K 






CANTWELL PRINTING COMPANY 
MADISON, WISCONSIN 



©CU2973S1 



PREFACE 

There are several books on sheep husbandry 
written by good authorities on the subject which 
have been of great aid to flockmasters. Sheep 
raisers do not take time, as a rule, to read lengthy 
books and this handbook has been prepared to 
serve as a brief guide to sheep management. It 
treats only of the practical problems of the care 
and management of the flock which every shep- 
herd engaged in the business has to confront. 

Numerous inquiries from flockowners from 
many sections of the country for information rela- 
tive to sheep husbandry and the troubles connected 
with the industry, the requests of many friends 
and students, and especially the urgent requests of 
Dean Henry and later of Dean Russell, both of the 
College of Agriculture of the University of Wiscon- 
sin, have induced the author to prepare this book. 
Judging from many letters received, not only the 
beginners with sheep, but also some of the more 
experienced men, often have many difficulties. 
This little book, written in common, every-day lan- 
guage, will perhaps serve to assist those in need of 
help, and also be an aid in the further improve- 
ment of our domestic sheep. The writer feels 



iv Sheep Management. 

deeply indebted to Messrs. F. B. Morrison and J. C. 
Marquis for their assistance in the preparation of 
this work, and also to the American Sheep Breeder 
for furnishing some of the photographs of prize 
winners at the International of 1910. 

In this work the author has given his many 
years experience in sheep husbandry. From his 
early boyhood in his native land of Bavaria, Ger- 
many, he was in charge of the flock of Shropshires 
on his father's farm. In America he has had 
charge of the flock of the Agricultural Experiment 
Station of the University of Wisconsin ever since 
April, 1890. While at this Station he has carried 
on many experiments with sheep which have fur- 
nished him with a fund of valuable information 
regarding many lines of sheep husbandry. From 
all this experience, the writer feels free to state 
that no one man knows everything concerning 
sheep. Entirely new problems occasionally arise 
which must be solved. However, one fact is always 
true. This is that good judgment, energy, kindness, 
and painstaking care are the keynotes to success 
in sheep husbandry. No person who treats his 
sheep like scavengers, giving them little or no at- 
tention, not furnishing them half enough to eat, 
and even depriving them of a drink of fresh water, 
can ever expect to derive any pleasure or profit 
from sheep husbandry. For such a man the sheep 



Preface. v 

will never prove to be the "Golden Hoof." No 
rough, brutal person possessing a violent temper 
and lacking self-control should ever undertake to 
raise or care for a flock, as such actions are en- 
tirely foreign to the innocent, peaceful nature of 
the sheep. 



CONTENTS 

PAGE. 

Preface in 

List of Illustrations xi 

INTRODUCTION. 
The Shepherd and His Galling xv 

CHAPTER I. 

Establishing the Flock. 

Value of Sheep on the Farm — Small Flock for Begin- 
ners — Scrub Ram Unprofitable — Selection of Ram 
— Age of Ram to Use — Care of Ram in Summer — 
Ram in the Fall — Number of Ewes to One Ram — 
Feed for Ram — The Ram in Winter — The Ewe 
Flock 1 

CHAPTER II. 

General Management of the Flock. 

The Handling of Sheep — Catching Sheep — Leading 
Sheep — Carrying Small Sheep or Lambs — Setting 
a Heavy Sheep on its Rump — Sore Teeth — Age of 
Sheep 19 

CHAPTER III. 

Winter Care and Feeding. 

Winter Grain for Ewe Flock — Amount of Grain to be 
Fed — Succulent Feeds — Roughage — Winter Quar- 
ters — Lambing Pens — Exercise — Gestation Period 



viii Sheep Management. 

of Ewes — Lambing Time — Ewes With Twins and 
Triplets — Ewes With Single Lambs — Lambs Born 
Weak — Reviving the Almost Lifeless Lamb — 
Chilled Lambs — Adopted Lambs — Newly Lambed 
Ewes — Feeding the Ewe After Lambing — Caked 
Udders — Sore Teats — Tagging the Ewes 33 

CHAPTER IV. 

Rearing the Lambs. 

The Lamb Creep — Grain Ration — Cow's Milk for 
Lambs — Raising Lambs by Hand — Marking the 
Lambs — Castrating the Lambs — Methods of Cas- 
tration — Docking the Lambs — Weaning the Lambs 
— Care of Lambs After Weaning — Care of the Ewe 
After Weaning 61 

CHAPTER V. 

Shearing and Dipping the Flock. 

Shearing Sheep — Tying Up the Fleece — Shearing 
Ewes Before or After Lambing — Trimming the Feet 89 

CHAPTER VI. 

Prevention and Treatment oe Parasites. 

Stomach Worms — Symptoms — Prevention — Treat- 
ment — Size of Dose — Drenching Sheep — Sheep 
With Grub in the Head — -Prevention — Bloat in 
Sheep — Remedy for Bloat — Medicines Helpful to 
the Flockmaster — Colic or Stretches — Wethers 
With Sore Sheath — Maggots — Cause — Prevention — 
Treatment 105 



Contents. ix 

CHAPTER VII. 

Summer Feeding and Care. 

Sugar Beets and Mangels Dangerous for Rams and 
Wethers — Flushing the Ewes — Culling the Ewe 
Flock — Culling the Lamb Flock — Care at Breeding 
Time — Necessity of Salt — Burdocks and Sandburs 
— Dangers of Dead Furrows 131 

CHAPTER VIII. 

Feeding Sheep for Market. 

Age of Sheep to Feed — Selection of Feeders — Prin- 
ciples of Feeding — Little Exercise for Fattening 
Sheep — Hand Feeding or Self Feeders — Shelter — 
Grain — Roughages — Succulent Feeds — Rape Feed- 
ing Previous to Fattening — Best Time to Market — 
How to Feed Before Shipping — Winter Lambs — 
Care of Dorset Ewes — Feeding Winter Lambs 145 

CHAPTER IX. 
Fitting Sheep for the Show Ring. 

Classes of Show Sheep — Selecting for the Breeding 
Class — Shearing Sheep for the Breeding Classes — 
Proper Time to Start Fitting — Feed for Show 
Lambs — Feed for Older Sheep — Trimming Show 
Sheep — A Help in Sheep Trimming — Coloring 
Sheep — Blanketing Sheep — Training Sheep for 
Shows — Shelter for Show Sheep — Trimming Feet 
of Show Sheep — Reducing Sheep After Fairs 177 



x Sheep Management. 

CHAPTER X. 

Fitting Wethers for Shows. 

Selection of Wethers — Shearing Wethers — Age to 
Show Wethers — Best Glass to Fit — Feeding Weth- 
ers — Best Grain Mixture to Feed — Fitting Yearling 
Wethers — Fitting Wether Lambs — Symptoms of 
Founder — Remedy for Founder — Trimming 
Wether Lambs — Selecting Block Winners — Judging 
Sheep at Fairs 197 

Index 221 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Plate Page 

1 Group of yearling wethers Frontispiece 

2 Sheep on Campus, University of Wisconsin 3 

3 Montana ewes and their lambs 6 

4 Pure bred Southdown ram 8 

5 Champion Shropshire yearling ram and ewe lamb 12 

6 Champion Shropshire flock 14 

7 The wrong and the right way to catch a sheep __ 20 

8 The wrong and the right way to lead a sheep __ 22 

9 Carrying a lamb or a small sheep 24 

10 Setting a heavy sheep on its rump 26 

11 Examining the teeth of a sheep 27 

12 The different ages of sheep, as shown by the 

front teeth 28 

13 Parting a sheep's lips to determine the age 30 

14 Champion Oxford ram and ewe 38 

15 First prize Hampshire ram and ewe lamb 42 

16 First prize flock of Southdowns 46 

17 Assisting the ewe in lambing 54 

18 Flushing out the ewe after lambing 56 

19 Three-months-old twin Shropshire lambs 62 

20 Lamb creep and feed troughs in sheep barn 66 

21 Grain trough for lambs 67 

22 Feed trough for hay and grain 67 

23 Feeding lambs from a bottle 70 

24 Marking the lamb with the Dana ear label 73 

25 Castrating the lamb 76 

26 How a lamb is docked with hot pinchers 78 

27 How to hold a lamb for docking 81 



xii Sheep Management. 

Plate Page 

28 Milking a ewe with two hands 85 

29 Dipping sheep 88 

30 Shearing sheep with a shearing machine 92 

31 An unusually heavy fleece 95 

32 Trimming the hoof with a jack knife 101 

33 Pruning knife, or clippers, for trimming feet 102 

34 First prize Cheviot ram lamb 104 

35 Flock of Cheviot ewes 104 

30 Drenching bottle 112 

37 Drenching a large sheep 113 

38 Drenching a small sheep 114 

39 Champion Cotswold ram 118 

40 First prize Lincoln ram and ewe lamb 122 

41 First prize Leicester ram and ewe lamb 126 

42 Champion Rambouillet ram and ewe 132 

43 Group of yearling wethers 138 

44 First prize pure-bred Shropshire wether lambs _ 142 

45 First prize pen of grade Shropshire wether 

lambs 152 

46 Second prize pure-bred Shropshire yearling 

wether 156 

47 First prize pen of grade Shropshire yearling 

wethers 162 

48 First prize Dorset ram and ewe lamb 168 

49 Grade Dorset ewes and their lambs 170 

50 First prize pen of grade Shropshire wether 

lambs 176 

51 Champion grade Shropshire yearling wether 179 

52 Champion pure-bred Cheviot yearling wether, 

before and after trimming 188 

53 Champion pure-bred Oxford yearling wether, be- 

fore and after trimming 190 



List of Illustrations. xm 

Plate Page 

54 Champion grade Shropshire yearling wether 198 

55 Champion pure-bred Hampshire yearling wether 201 
50 Pair of Southdown yearling wethers 205 

57 Champion pure-bred Southdown yearling wether 208 

58 Grand champion pure-bred Southdown yearling 

wether 212 

59 Champion pure-bred Cheviot yearling wether. _ 215 

60 The shepherd's trophy 218 



INTRODUCTION 
THE SHEPHERD AND HIS GALLING. 

The young man with a born love for sheep is the 
one, as a rule, who will strive in his younger years 
either to find employment with some flockowner, 
or perhaps to engage for himself in sheep hus- 
bandry. He likes sheep, he likes to feed and take 
care of them. Such men, when they have learned 
the details connected with the business, are those 
who achieve the best results. 

It makes no difference what breed of sheep a 
shepherd handles; to be successful he must prac- 
tice the secrets which are the keynote to success 
if steadily followed, or on the other hand, which 
when slighted, lead to certain failure in the busi- 
ness. Let me mention a few of these secrets : 

1. The shepherd must be kind at all times to 
every member of his flock. 

2. He must practice cleanliness, which means to 
keep feed troughs clean and sweet and not let 
them become filthy with manure, thereby causing 
a disagreeable odor. 

3. He must be punctual, which means to keep 
regular feeding hours. 



xvi Sheep Management. 

4. He must use good, sound judgment in the 
every-day work. 

5. He must feed liberally and not hold the wrong 
idea that sheep can live on little or nothing. 

Wherever these few points are constantly ob- 
served and practiced, there need be no fear that 
misfortunes will come to the flock. Most of the 
failures in sheep husbandry may be attributed 
directly to carelessness and negligence on the part 
of the shepherd, for no breed of sheep will do well 
under the management of a shiftless shepherd. A 
disinterested shepherd who has no interest in the 
welfare of his flock is just as bad as dogs that get 
among the flock and destroy them. Many times a 
shepherd does not think and does not use a little 
common horse sense, and then attributes every- 
thing that has gone wrong to bad luck. When we 
see a poor flock we generally find a poor shepherd 
back of it. 

Many shepherds would be benefited if they could 
take a trip to England and learn from the success- 
ful shepherds of that country how they handle 
their flocks, and after studying their methods of 
raising sheep, on their way back, could go through 
Canada and especially through Ontario and see 
how our Canadian friends conduct the business. 
While once in a while unfavorable conditions and 
environment may bring about trouble, in the ma- 



The Shepherd and His Calling. xvn 

jority of cases the fault lies with the shepherd him- 
self and is so often wrongly called "bad luck." If 
the shepherd does not care to handle his flock of 
breeding ewes during winter in such a manner as 
to assure the largest percentage of lambs, and is 
not willing to sit up part of the night during lamb- 
ing time, he is not worth having around the flock. 
The shepherd must really feel proud of his suc- 
cess and must feel ashamed of things which have 
gone wrong through his fault. The best shepherds 
of today are not conceited over their success, but 
feel that there is still a little more to be learned. 
If a shepherd cannot at any time agree with his 
employer he will never take the best interest in his 
flock. A shepherd who walks through the sheep- 
fold without the necessary sharpness to detect an 
ill sheep in the flock is by no means the right kind 
of a shepherd. Another one that sees an ailing 
sheep, but has not energy enough to care for it at 
once, is just as bad or worse than the first man 
mentioned. 

When a man does not mind the bleat of a sheep 
or lamb that wants more feed, salt, or water, he 
has not the true spirit of a shepherd. Neither is he 
worthy of the name of shepherd if he does not 
do at once those things which should be attended 
to, but says he will do them tomorrow or some 
other time. The man who is not aware of the 



xvm Sheep Management. 

danger of sheep becoming infested with maggots 
during hot weather and fly time, when some poor 
innocent sheep may be eaten alive by these pests, 
must certainly be a very poor shepherd or flock- 
master. Another who does not dip his sheep and 
lets ticks or lice constantly annoy and feed on 
them is just as cruel to his flock as the one who 
starves his sheep to death. If a shepherd likes to 
be away from his flock as much as possible he is 
not the one who has the thrift and welfare of it 
at heart; such a man had better engage in some 
other line of work. 

Is it not good practice to go through the pasture 
once a day, where the sheep are grazing, to see 
whether a fine broad-backed ewe has not turned 
over on her back, with her four legs up, in a little 
depression in the ground, where she will die if 
she is not freed from this position? The shepherd 
who does not care about the loss of a sheep or 
lamb should no longer have charge of the flock. 
The men that do not see the importance of keep- 
ing their sheep out of cold rains and storms in late 
fall, winter, and early spring often have to suffer 
the loss of one or more members of their flock. 
The shepherd who has not learned the necessity 
of keeping the hoofs of his flock in proper trim 
and shape will cause much trouble in his flock and 
will reduce his profits. If he is not careful to avoid 



The Shepherd and His Calling. ixx 

feeding moldy and spoiled feed of any kind to his 
flock, he is not a true shepherd; neither is the man 
who feeds frozen roots or frozen corn silage, both 
of which often prove fatal. Whoever believes that 
the best results can be obtained by merely looking 
at a flock, and does not go to work, is badly mis- 
taken. 

If the shepherd does not supply his flock with 
fresh, pure water every day in the year, but shares 
the opinion of quite a number of men that sheep 
need little or no water, he should learn as early as 
possible that sheep require water just as well as 
any other farm animal. Where the flock is allowed 
to drink from old stagnant water pools, the shep- 
herd runs the risk of having his flock infested with 
all sorts of parasites. Failure to rub pine tar on 
the sheeps' noses during fly time, or to supply this 
in the salt trough, as is recommended elsewhere in 
this book, may result in the flock becoming in- 
fested with grub in the head. No shepherd can 
have the best results in sheep husbandry without 
providing some succulent feeds, such as roots, cab- 
bage, or good, sweet corn silage, for his flock dur- 
ing the winter months. 

The shepherd who is not aware of the serious 
danger of narrow doors in the sheep barn, which 
result in broken-down hips, pregnant ewes being 
induced to drop their lambs before they are due, 



xx Sheep Management. 

and young lambs getting squeezed, trampled down, 
and killed in the rush by the older sheep, and who 
does nothing to prevent this evil, lacks good judg- 
ment, and is responsible for any loss incurred in 
this way. If a shepherd fits sheep and goes into 
the show ring simply to be there among the other 
shepherds to keep them company, and if he is 
not possessed with the strongest desire to win the 
best prizes offered, he had better stay at home and 
save money for his employer. 

To make a long story short, a good faithful shep- 
herd looks to every detail of his work, and has his 
mind, heart, and soul with his flock at all times. 
He leaves nothing undone which promotes the 
thrift and welfare of each individual sheep. He 
likes to talk with other successful shepherds about 
sheep and tries to learn the better methods. He 
is loyal to his employer, and works for his best in- 
terest and largest profit. His happiest hours are 
spent among his flock, watching young lambs grow 
and old ones do well. Some of the greatest men 
in the Old Testament were true, faithful shepherds. 



CHAPTER I. 
ESTABLISHING THE FLOCK. 

THE VALUE OF SHEEP ON THE FARM. 

It is generally known that, when properly man- 
aged, sheep are most profitable animals on the 
farm. They do not require nearly so much labor 
as other farm animals, especially in the summer, 
when the farmer is the busiest, cultivating, hay- 
ing, and harvesting. Another advantage is that 
no expensive building is necessary for properly 
sheltering and housing them. Likewise the outlay 
of capital needed to start a flock of sheep is small 
compared with that required for other stock. With 
good prices for wool, a breeding ewe will pay for 
her maintenance during the year with her fleece, 
and will raise one or two lambs, or perhaps even 
three, which are net profit to the owner. With the 
steadily increasing demand for good mutton and 
the good prices paid for the same, it can easily be 
seen that sheep husbandry pays well, if handled 
in the right way. 

Sheep are economical producers, and require 
less feed for the production of a pound of gain 
than the average for other classes of live stock. 
They have no equals as weed destroyers, for they 



2 Sheep Management. 

eat nearly all of the numerous weeds and grasses 
which grow on the farm. The manure from sheep 
is worth much more per ton as fertilizer than that 
of any other class of farm animals except poultry. 
Moreover, when on pasture, sheep spread their 
manure more evenly than other stock. Indeed, no 
spreader has as yet been invented that does such 
perfect work as the sheep themselves. These ani- 
mals never impoverish the land upon which they 
tread, but on the contrary build it up and improve 
it. For this reason the sheep is called the "Golden 
Hoof." 

In pointing out the advantages of sheep hus- 
bandry it is not the writer's intention to urge far- 
mers to give up all other classes of farm animals 
and stock up with sheep, but he wishes simply to 
emphasize the idea that at least a few sheep can 
very profitably be kept on almost all farms which 
are located on dry land. Sheep, however, will not 
thrive on marshy land. 

A SMALL FLOCK FOR BEGINNERS. 

It would not be wise for anyone not thoroughly 
familiar with sheep husbandry to start in with a 
large flock, for many troubles and obstacles arise 
which have to be overcome, and the remedies must 
be learned by practical experience, as all of them 
cannot be found in books. Many people who 



Establishing the Finely. 3 

started in the business too heavily have made a 
failure of it, and consequently have been com- 
pelled to drop the undertaking. The proper pro- 
cedure is to start in with a small flock and gradu- 
ally increase the number, as one's knowledge of 
the care and management of sheep enlarges. 




Plate 2. Part of the University of Wisconsin flock on the campus 
near Agricultural Hall, right after shearing. 

One of the greatest drawbacks to sheep hus- 
bandry in many sections of the country at the pres- 
ent time is the dog problem. It is to be hoped, 
however, that in every state of our country laws 
will be enacted similar to the laws of some states, 
which will do away with many of the worthless 
mongrel curs that cause enormous damage by kill- 
ing sheep, and have frightened many small flock- 
owners out of the business. 



4 Sheep Management. 

THE SCRUB RAM UNPROFITABLE. 

Flockmasters should avoid the practice of using 
the grade or scrub ram, for wherever such a ram 
is used no improvement in the offspring can be 
expected. Indeed, in many cases the vitality, con- 
formation, and strength of a flock is reduced by 
using an inferior grade or scrub ram for breed- 
ing. Therefore, the scrub ram, like the scrub stal- 
lion, must be driven out of the country, and more 
scientific and intelligent breeding must be followed 
if present conditions are to be improved. 

It is shameful that there are so many flocks of 
inferior breeding and quality throughout nearly 
all parts of our country. Flocks of this type de- 
mand more feed and care than flocks of good 
breeding. Moreover, does not rearing good stock 
afford the farmer much greater pleasure and more 
encouragement than raising the inferior class com- 
monly called "scrubs"? Does he not also know 
that high grade animals will return far greater 
profit than scrubs? The writer has spent many of 
the happiest hours in his life in taking care of high 
class animals, but he would have found no pleas- 
ure in caring for inferior ones. 

It is thus evident that flockmasters should in all 
cases use a pure-bred ram. Not every one of these, 
however, is a good individual, although he may 
have a pedigree to his credit. Some registered 



Establishing the Flock. 5 

rams are very inferior in type and conformation, 
and will not make any improvement in a tlock. 
Breeders would improve the sheep industry if they 
would use the knife, and castrate all inferior buck 
lambs and sell them for mutton, as such rams do 
not uplift sheep breeding, but on the other hand 
degrade it. 

THE SELECTION OF THE RAM. 

It has been demonstrated that the ram is half, or 
as some breeders say, even more than half of the 
flock. The writer fully agrees with this statement, 
as he has often observed surprisingly good results 
from using a first-class sire on the most common 
kind of females. It is doubtful whether in any 
other line of animal breeding such rapid improve- 
ment can be accomplished by the use of good sires 
as in the case of sheep breeding. The best sires 
are none too good. 

The first illustration in Plate 3 shows four Mon- 
tana ewes bought on the range some years ago for 
$2.25 per head. These ewes were very thin when 
purchased and were just "sheep," for they showed 
no evidence of belonging to any particular breed. 
By the use of a pure-bred Southdown ram, such 
as is shown in Plate 4, the seven fine, well-built 
lambs were raised in one season from the four 
ewes. One of these lambs was good enough to 
win the second prize at the International in a class 




Plate 3. (a) Four Montana ewes bought on the range for .$2.25 per 
head, lb) Seven lambs raised from these ewes in one season. Their 
sire was a pure-bred. 



Establishing the Flock. 7 

where 38 lambs were shown. These lambs show 
in a striking manner what great improvement can 
be made by the use of a good sire on the most in- 
ferior females. 

When selecting a breeding ram of a mutton 
breed, one should know and bear in mind the 
ideal of a well-built ram, possessing the right type, 
so as to be able at once to distinguish the good ram 
from the inferior one. The points of a good ram 
are as follows: He should possess lots of vigor 
and vitality, which is indicated by a short, broad 
head, large nostrils, bold eyes, breadth on the ball 
or top of the head, a short, thick neck, a wide and 
deep chest, broad, level shoulders — smooth on top, 
and a well-developed forearm. His forelegs should 
be straight and short, and set well apart. He 
should be broad and deep in the heart girth, which 
insures good constitution. A broad, straight back, 
with well-sprung ribs, is very essential. A smooth, 
wide, and thick loin adds greatly to the value of a 
sire. He should also have a long, level, and wide 
rump, with a full, deep twist. His hind legs, like 
his forelegs, should be short, straight, and wide 
apart, and the flank should be thick and low, form- 
ing a straight side line as well as a straight under- 
line. The skin should be of a pink color, and the 
fleece long, fine, and dense, depending, of course, 
upon the particular breed to which he belongs. 



8 Sheep Management. 

Style and carriage are other strong points in a 
good rain. The fact that rams of nearly all the 
middle and long wool breeds should be free from 




Plate 4. Pure-bred Southdown ram, held by Frank Kleinheinz, Jr. 
Such a ram as this was the sire of the seven lambs shown in Plate 3. 

horns, stubs, or scnrs, should not be overlooked. 
Dorsets and Cheviots are exempt from this rule. 
The ram should show masculinity in his head and 
have strong bone. 



Establishing the Flock. 9 

Heavily fitted show rams have often failed to 
be breeders, or if they did breed, they produced 
small, weak lambs. Flockmasters are, therefore, 
warned not to purchase these too heavily fitted or 
"overdone" rams. A good, so-called "field" ram, 
in proper condition, generally gives the best re- 
sults in breeding. 

THE AGE OF THE RAM TO USE. 

A ram of the middle and long wool breeds is 
sufficiently developed and fit for service at the 
age of one and one-half years, being then called a 
"yearling." While it is common among breeders 
to buy yearling rams for service, it may be of in- 
terest to flockmasters to know that it has been 
found here at the Wisconsin Experiment Station, 
where every lamb is weighed at birth, that lambs 
sired by rams which were older than yearlings are 
heavier, on an average, than those from yearlings. 

Sheep breeders very often make a mistake by 
using a ram lamb for breeding. Such a practice 
is detrimental to their own interests and profit. A 
sheep makes its most growth the first year of its 
life; and hence it can readily be seen that when a 
lamb, only about six to eight months old, is bred 
to a lot of ewes, its own development is very 
much hindered. Ram lambs, when heavily used, 
have often proved to be non-breeders afterwards. 



10 Sheep Management. 

Therefore, the up-to-date sheep breeder never uses 
ram lambs for breeding, or at least only in rare 
cases. For instance, a breeder buys an exceed- 
ingly good ram lamb for a high price, which he 
intends to use as a yearling in his flock, and he 
may be very anxious to see the offspring from it. 
In such a case, it might be allowable to breed this 
ram lamb to three or perhaps even five ewes, but, 
of course, it would be better if the lamb is not 
used at all. The reason why so many ram lambs 
are used for breeding is that farmers can purchase 
a lamb a little cheaper than a yearling, but the 
few extra dollars saved in the purchase price are 
doubly lost at the other end. In the writer's opin- 
ion it is far better to buy a yearling ram instead 
of a lamb, because the yearling has nearly reached 
full development and with proper care will not 
change his form. In the case of the lamb, how- 
ever, its future development cannot in all cases 
be correctly predicted, as lambs often change 
markedly in conformation. Indeed, the best of 
lambs have often turned out to be poor yearlings. 

THE CARE OF THE RAM IN SUMMER. 

To let the ram run with the flock during the 
summer and fall is not the best practice. The ram 
is more or less restless when in company with 
breeding ewes, and ewes often become pregnant 



Establishing the Flock. 11 

and give birth to lambs at times when it is not de- 
sirable to have them come. It is a much better 
plan to keep the ram isolated from the flock. He 
can be turned into a paddock or small field where 
he will find enough grass to keep him in good con- 
dition. It is important that the ram have shade 
and fresh water where he is kept in summer, and 
salt is also another requisite for him. Towards 
fall when the weather gets colder and chilling rains 
frequently make it unpleasant, the ram should be 
housed during the night at least, for many valu- 
able breeding rams have become stiff and rheu- 
matic at this season, disabling them at the time 
needed for service, and ruining them for life. 

THE RAM IN THE FALL. 

It is customary to turn the ram with the flock of 
ewes when breeding is to begin. Although this 
plan is permissible, a more satisfactory method, 
where time will permit, is to follow what is termed 
"hand coupling." In hand coupling the flock of 
ewes to be bred to one ram is brought each morn- 
ing to an enclosure where the ram is turned with 
them. The shepherd watches the ram closely, and 
as soon as any ewe has had one service she is 
turned out of the enclosure, so that the ram will 
pay attention to other ewes in heat. It is not ad- 
visable to allow the ram to breed more than three 




Plate 5. Champion Shropshire yearling ram and ewe lamb at 
the International, 1910, shown by Chandler Bros., Chariton, Iowa. 



Establishing the Flock. 13 

ewes in the morning. Therefore, if there should 
be more than three in heat in the morning the 
rest should be reserved for the evening. 

If a ewe should fail to become pregnant from 
her first service, she will return in heat again in 
from fourteen to nineteen days. However, the 
great majority return in sixteen to seventeen days. 
Only in three or four cases has the writer known 
as long a period as twenty-one days to pass before 
ewes returned. 

By the method of hand coupling the shepherd 
is able to keep a record of the date each ewe be- 
comes pregnant. Hence he will know the date 
when she is due to lamb. When the ram is allowed 
to serve each ewe but once at each time she is in 
heat, rather than to serve her half a dozen times, 
his vitality and vigor are also saved to a great ex- 
tent. Moreover, it is well known that a single serv- 
ice is better for the ewe than being bred several 
times. 

Many sheep breeders who have not time to prac- 
tice hand coupling, but nevertheless want to make 
sure whether the ram that is turned with the ewe 
flock is a breeder, paint him on the brisket be- 
tween his forelegs with some color which will 
leave a mark of the paint on the wool of the ewe. 
This mark indicates that the ewe has been bred. 
After eighteen days or three weeks have passed, 




T3 
3 

u 



Establishing the Flock. 15 

the ram is painted with another color, and in this 
way the breeder is enabled to find out whether the 
ewes are returning or not. Some breeders put a 
different color on the ram the third time, and if all 
ewes return after being bred two or three times, 
another ram should be secured. The writer has 
seen rams that apparently did their duty well and 
bred many ewes, but never got a single one with 
lamb. 

However, even if the first half dozen or so of 
ewes served do return, the shepherd need not nec- 
essarily worry about the ram's not being a breeder. 
Indeed, the writer has observed that very com- 
monly the first few ewes bred by any ram will 
return. 

It is a peculiar fact that where the ram is left 
with the flock he may pay all his attention to one 
ewe and entirely neglect others which are in heat, 
thereby needlessly wearing out his vitality. In 
such a case the ram seems instinctively to take a 
liking to this one ewe. All this will be prevented 
where hand coupling is followed. 

THE NUMBER OF EWES ALLOWED TO ONE RAM. 

Not more than fifty to fifty-five ewes should be 
bred to one ram in a season. The writer has ob- 
served in his many years of experience that even 
with this number of ewes to one ram and where 



16 Sheep Management. 

hand coupling was followed, the last lambs born 
were not nearly as strong as those born first. This 
emphasizes strongly how unwise it is to allow the 
ram to serve too many ewes. On the western 
ranges where the rams run at large with the flock, 
and where no grain is fed them, only from thirty- 
five to forty ewes are allotted to each ram. 

FEED FOR THE RAM. 

To obtain the best results from a ram, he must 
be kept in a strong, vigorous condition. He needs 
no grain during the summer months when he has 
good pasture, but at least one month before breed- 
ing begins he should be given some grain. Noth- 
ing can be more highly recommended than a mix- 
ture of two parts of oats and one part of bran. 
This ration, which is strong in protein, does not 
tend to produce much fat. The amount of this 
mixture to be fed lies entirely in the feeder's judg- 
ment, for he must distinguish between "thrifty" 
and "too fat" condition. No satisfactory results 
can be expected from a ram that is too thin, nor 
from one that is too fat. 

THE RAM IN WINTER. 

The ram should be kept away from the breeding 
flock in the winter, as in summer, so that he can- 
not annoy and bunt the pregnant ewes around, as 



Establishing the Flock. 17 

he may often otherwise do. If a small amount of 
the grain mixture, before mentioned, is given daily 
with some good clover or alfalfa hay, and a few 
roots or a little corn silage, the ram may be kept 
in splendid shape. He can be used for two sea- 
sons on the ewes in one flock, and then when a 
change has to be made so as not to inbreed him 
on his own get, if he has been cared for properly, 
he will sell to another breeder for about his origi- 
nal cost, or very little less. Mangels and sugar 
beets should not be fed to rams or wethers, as 
stated elsewhere in this work. 

THE EWE FLOCK. 

When the flockm aster intends to raise sheep for 
mutton and wool production only, a grade flock 
should be established. By using a good pure-bred 
sire and retaining some of the best ewe lambs in 
the flock each year to take the place of the older 
ewes that are annually culled out and sold to the 
butcher, a fine grade flock may be developed in 
the course of four to five years. When a person 
desires to raise pure-bred sheep and sell them for 
breeding purposes the ewes selected for this work 
should be, like the ram, of the highest type, and 
best build and conformation for that particular 
breed. One may select pure-bred sheep of any 
kind to establish a flock, but if he fails to select the 

2 



IS Sheep Management. 

up-to-date type of the breed he chooses, he will 
soon learn when it comes to selling for breeding 
purposes that he cannot command the highest 
prices on account of lack of type. Likewise, if 
good type is in evidence, and the right conforma- 
tion is lacking, the same thing happens. In rais- 
ing pure-breds, start right, and you will always be 
right. 



CHAPTER II. 
GENERAL MANAGEMENT OF THE FLOCK. 

THE HANDLING OF SHEEP. 

Many flockowners in this country treat their 
sheep simply as scavengers on their farms, but in 
England, however, they are handled in an entirely 
different manner. There the people treat their 
sheep as they should be treated, for they have had 
many years of experience in sheep husbandry and 
have learned to appreciate the value of sheep on 
the farm far more than do many people in Amer- 
ica. Some men in this country handle their sheep 
in a manner that is cruel and really inhuman. The 
late Prof. John A. Craig, a friend of the writer and 
well known as one of the foremost authorities on 
sheep husbandry in America, while once watching 
sheep shearers at a large plant in the West, was 
witness to the cruelty of some of the brutal shear- 
ers toward the sheep. During a short time in their 
careless and reckless haste they slashed open the 
bellies of three sheep so badly that their intestines 
ran out on the shearing floor and the sheep had 
to be killed in order to relieve them of the terrible 
pain they were suffering. And yet we speak about 
humanity! 



20 



Sheep Management. 



The writer himself could mention many in- 
stances of such cruel and barbarous handling of 
sheep that he himself has been witness to, but 




Plate 7. (a) The wrong way to catch a sheep. (b) The right way 

to catch it. 



General Management of the Floek. 21 

these things have been done and cannot be altered. 
Nothing will be said here about the starvation of 
so many poor sheep on the Western ranges dur- 
ing the winter months. Let us at least learn to 
pick up those pieces of barb wire, broken from 
fences, that lie across our lanes, so that sheep will 
not daily get tangled, cut their legs, and pull out 
their wool. To get all the profit which is possible 
out of sheep many such matters, which may seem 
like trifles, must be attended to by the shepherd. 

CATCHING THE SHEEP. 

When the shepherd wishes to catch a sheep he 
should grasp it at the proper place, namely at the 
flank. The accompanying illustrations show the 
wrong and the right way to catch a sheep. Many 
an ignorant llockowner catches and takes hold of 
the sheep by the wool, at any place he can get hold 
of best, in the manner shown in the first picture. 
Men who do this do not realize that the skin of the 
sheep is very lightly attached to its flesh, and that 
by holding the sheep by the wool in this careless 
manner the skin is torn loose from the flesh as far 
and a little farther than the hand's reach, thus in- 
juring the innocent sheep. It has been our expe- 
rience that it takes the sheep about two months to 
recover from the bruise thus caused. On the other 
hand, if the sheep is held by the flank, as is shown 



21 



Sheep Management. 



in the second illustration, no injury whatever is 
inflicted, and the largest and strongest ram will 
yield and stand still when caught in this manner. 




Plate 8. (a) The way too many people try to lead a sheep, (h) The 
easiest and right way to lead a sheep. 



General Manage men t of the Flock. ^3 

LEADING THE SHEEP. 

We often see farmers trying to lead a sheep by 
taking hold of it by its neck, of course also by the 
wool, and dragging it along. They make a hard 
task of it for themselves, and they certainly make 
it most unpleasant for the sheep. When properly 
handled all breeds of sheep lead fairly well, with 
the exception of the fine wools. These are more 
stubborn than the rest, but yet any breed may be 
led if the proper method is pursued. If a sheep is 
to be led get on its left side, just the same as if 
you were going to lead a horse or cow. As is 
shown in the accompanying illustration, place your 
left arm around its neck, and your right hand on 
the end of its tail-head, tickling it just a little there, 
and you will find that it will, as a rule, come your 
way very quickly, or at times even faster than you 
care to have it come. 

CARRYING AND LIFTING SMALL SHEEP OR LAMBS. 

Occasions often present themselves when it be- 
comes necessary to carry small sheep or lambs for 
a short distance, or to lift them from one pen into 
another. This work may be very easily performed 
by lifting the animal in the following manner: 
Standing nearly at the rear of the sheep, though 
slightly more to the right side, slip the right hand 
back of the sheep's right front leg and place it on 




Plate 9. An easy way to carry a lamb or small sheep 
without its struggling. 



General Management of the Flock. 25 

the brisket between the two front legs. Now lift 
the sheep slightly from the ground with the right 
hand to prevent its going forward. Then with the 
left hand take hold of the left hind leg just above 
the hock and lift the sheep up against your breast, 
as is shown in the accompanying illustration where 
a 108-pound lamb is being carried. By this method 
all struggling is avoided and no harm whatever 
done to the sheep. 

SETTING A HEAVY SHEEP ON ITS RUMP. 

It is a relatively easy task to set a light sheep or 
lamb on its rump by simply lifting it up and set- 
ting it down on its rump. However, with larger 
and heavier sheep, and especially with rams, it 
means a little more work and care. Perhaps the 
easiest way is to place the left arm around the 
sheep's neck, reaching back with the left hand and 
placing it firmly on the right forearm of the sheep. 
Now reach across under the sheep with the right 
hand, taking hold of the right hind leg just above 
the hock. Then the operator should shove against 
the sheep with his breast, and by pulling gently 
with the hand on the right hind leg, the sheep will 
be turned on its rump gently and easily, as is 
shown in the illustrations which follow. When a 
sheep is to rise from this position some men will 
allow it to roll over on one of its sides and then 



26 



Sheep Management. 



let it struggle until it is finally able to get its legs 
under itself so it can rise. However, if the shep- 
herd will push the sheep straight forward on its 
front feet when it is sitting on its rump, it will be 
able to rise easily and quickly. 




1$& 



■ <^ 




Plate 10. The proper way to set a heavy sheep on its rump. 
SORE TEETH. 

When sheep show irregularity in eating or chew- 
ing their cud an examination of their teeth be- 
comes necessary. The mouth of a sheep can be 
opened by means of two pieces of cloth, each about 



General Manage men I of the Flock. 



27 



two feet long and two inches wide. One of these 
should be tied on the upper jaw, the other on the 
lower jaw between the 
front and back teeth. By 
pulling on these two strips 
one man will be able to 
hold the mouth open while 
another examines it, as is 
shown in the accompany- 
ing illustration. 

In case there should be 
a loose or badly decayed 
tooth that troubles the 
sheep in eating, this shoukt 
be removed by means of 
a small pair of pinchers. 
If the outside edge of 
one of the back teeth has 
grown so long and sharp 
that it cuts into the flesh, 
a file should be taken and 
the sharp edge or point 
filed off. Many sheep have suffered from sore 
teeth without their owners knowing what ailed 
them. 

THE AGE OF SHEEP. 




Plate 11. How a sheep's 
mouth is held open while the 
teeth are heing examined. 



The age of a sheep can be closely determined 
from its teeth. When a sheep has a full set of 




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General Management of the Flock. 29 

teeth we will find eight of them on its lower jaw in 
front, but none on the upper jaw. In the illustra- 
tion are shown views of the entire skulls and of 
the lower jaws of sheep of different ages. The 
lamb's skull at the left shows its full set of first or 
"milk" teeth. These milk teeth are uniform in size 
and shape, and are rather narrow. After the lamb 
has reached the age of from twelve to fifteen 
months the central pair of milk teeth drop out, 
and a much larger pair of permanent teeth, or in- 
cisors, take their place. The second view shows 
the front teeth of a sheep of this age. At the age of 
two years another pair of milk teeth, one on each 
side of the first pair, will be replaced by another 
pair of permanent ones, as is shown in the third 
view. A year later the third pair of permanent 
teeth will appear, and only one pair of milk teeth 
will be left, as is shown in the fourth jaw. At 
length when the sheep is about four years old, the 
whole set of milk teeth will have been replaced 
by a full permanent set, as is shown in the last 
view. 

We often find that the changes of teeth are 
somewhat irregular. For instance, the writer has 
seen rare cases where sheep did not change the 
first pair of teeth until they were eighteen and in 
one case nineteen months old, and then shortly 
after the first change had occured the second took 




Plate 13. The right way to part a sheep's lips to determine the age. 



General Management of the Flock. 31 

place long before the sheep was two years old. 
Heavy forcing in feeding will often hasten the 
early changing of the teeth. 

At about four years of age, when the last pair 
of milk teeth has been replaced and the sheep 
has its full set of permanent teeth, the teeth will 
again be found more uniform. They will now be 
nearly as uniform as the full set of milk teeth the 
lamb had at first. However, the permanent teeth 
are all larger than the milk teeth and may be worn 
so that the corners are rounded off or the tops flat- 
tened, while the milk teeth are sharp and square. 
From the time the sheep is a yearling until it 
reaches the age of four years we do not find uni- 
formity in the size and shape of the teeth, as there 
are always some of the permanent and some of 
the milk teeth present, and the latter are narrower 
and comparatively smaller than the permanent 
teeth. 

After the age of four years no one can tell the 
exact age of a sheep by its teeth. However, well- 
experienced men can guess pretty closely by the 
looks of a sheep's face whether it is a five, seven, 
or eight-year-old. Many times the seven or eight- 
year-old has lost some of its teeth, or they may be 
loose in the mouth. The writer has seen rare cases, 
where he knew the exact age of the sheep, in 



32 Sheep Management. 

which they had lost half of their teeth between 
three and four years of age. Such cases may be 
attributed to heavy or forced feeding during the 
first few years of the sheep's life. 



CHAPTER III. 
WINTER CARE AND FEEDING. 

WINTER GRAIN FOR THE EWE FLOCK. 

Sheep will thrive on the grains and roughage 
which are grown on the average farm. Breeding 
ewes that come into winter quarters in good con- 
dition do not need a great deal of grain. The 
flockowner should aim not to let them run down 
in condition, as is often done. Wherever breeding 
ewes are forced to go through a process of starva- 
tion in the winter time great loss and all sorts of 
trouble appear toward spring and lambing time. 
While breeding ewes should not be poor in condi- 
tion, it is also a mistake to have them too fat. 
However, if the writer had to make a choice be- 
tween the two conditions, he would prefer the 
latter. 

A mixture consisting of one and one-half parts 
oats and one part bran has given very satisfactory 
results when fed to pregnant ewes. The oats 
strengthen the ewes, and the bran is laxative and 
serves to keep the digestive organs in good work- 
ing order. All fat producing varieties of grain, 
such as corn, barley, rye, oilmeal, and cottonseed 
meal, cannot be recommended to be extensively 

3 



34 Sheep Management. 

fed to pregnant ewes, since they have a tendency 
to produce a surplus amount of fat inside of the 
body, and thus make it difficult for the lamb to 
properly develop. When ewes are fed extensively 
on these rich grains, in many cases their systems 
are heated up and they shed more or less of their 
wool long before shearing time. 

AMOUNT OF GRAIN TO BE FED. 

No man can lay down a definite rule as to the 
amount of grain to be fed to a sheep per day, since 
they vary in size and condition. It has been found 
that one-half pound per day of the grain mixture 
already mentioned is sufficient for a medium sized 
ewe, weighing from 150 to 170 pounds, during the 
winter months. When good alfalfa or clover hay 
is fed, in conjunction with some succulent feed, 
no grain is needed up to about one month before 
lambing time. At this time, however, it becomes 
necessary to feed some grain in order to insure a 
good milk flow for the young lambs. 

SUCCULENT FEEDS. 

All succulent feeds tend to keep the bowels of 
sheep in excellent condition, and have a general 
tonic and regulating effect. Chopped roots are as 
good a succulent feed as can be recommended. 
They may be chopped up by means of a root 



Winter Care and Feeding. 35 

pulper, which can he purchased at small cost and 
is very useful. Among all the varieties of roots 
grown the writer in his experience has found ruta- 
bagas the most satisfactory for sheep feeding. 
While roots are very good for sheep feeding, al- 
though somewhat expensive to grow, there is an- 
other succulent feed, namely corn silage, that will 
take their place, for sheep relish good sweet corn 
silage. Care should he taken when feeding silage 
that no spoiled or moldy stuff is fed, which is very 
detrimental, nor sour silage, which contains a 
great deal of acid and causes colic, stretches, and 
scouring. All such silage is dangerous, especially 
to pregnant ewes, as it is apt to cause abortion. 
Such poor silage fed to ewes after lambing will 
also cause the suckling lamb to scour, often result- 
ing in death. Good succulent feeds are, however, 
very essential for breeding ewes after lambing 
time, as they increase the milk production for the 
lambs. It is not a safe plan to feed too much suc- 
culent feed to pregnant ewes, as it would be re- 
sponsible for what are termed large, soft, flabby 
lambs, which have no strength or vitality when 
born and ultimately die. It has been learned at 
this Station that two pounds of succulent i'ved 
(roots or silage) can be fed safely per day to a 
pregnant ewe with good results. After lambing 
time this amount can be increased. Care must be 



36 Sheep Management. 

taken that no frozen roots or silage are fed, for 
some sheep feeders have experienced bitter losses 
of sheep after feeding frozen roots or silage. 
Frozen roots chill the stomach, while frozen or 
moldy silage may have a poisonous effect. Either 
will cause a serious derangement of the digestive 
organs. 

ROUGHAGE FOR SHEEP IN WINTER. 

Sheep like variety in their feed, perhaps more 
so than other farm animals. Alfalfa, red clover, 
and other leguminous hays are their favorites. 
Oats and peas sowed together and made into hay 
before they ripen make an excellent winter feed 
for sheep. Blue grass hay, oat hay, nice corn fod- 
der, and bright, fine oat straw are also relished by 
sheep as a change. Timothy and marsh hay should 
at no time be offered as feed to sheep. Too much 
emphasis cannot be placed upon this statement, 
for timothy hay with its coarseness and woodiness 
has caused the loss of thousands of sheep annually 
in this country from constipation. Another ob- 
jection to timothy hay feeding is the fact that the 
heads of the timothy force themselves into the 
wool, often down to the skin, making the skin itch 
very badly and causing the sheep to scratch and 
rub on sharp corners. The timothy in the wool 
also makes shearing difficult, and wool buyers ob- 
ject to such wool and cut down on the price paid 
for it. 



Winter Care and Feeding. 37 

WINTER QUARTERS FOR SHEEP. 

Winter quarters for sheep should be of such a 
kind that the sheep are dry above and underfoot. 
Therefore, when a sheep barn or shed is built it 
should be properly located. If possible, a spot of 
elevated ground should be selected to provide good 
drainage on all sides. There should never be a 
time when water runs into the sheep barn during 
heavy rains or when snow is melting rapidly in 
winter. When sheep are forced, contrary to their 
nature, to lie down on a wet floor in a barn rheu- 
matism and stiffness in legs and body will soon 
set in. Though sheep like dry quarters in winter 
they do not prefer too warm a place, as their coat 
of wool keeps them sufficiently warm. Another 
important factor leading to the welfare of the flock 
is to avoid all draughts. Coughing, running at the 
nose, and lung diseases are often due to draughts 
sweeping through the barn or shed. The barn 
should be dry, airy, and well-ventilated, but must 
be free from draughts. It should also be well 
lighted, since sheep prefer the light and thus do 
not thrive so well in a dark place. The barn must 
have wide doors, so that the sheep do not get 
jammed and injured by rushing through too nar- 
row doorways. The results of narrow doorways 
are broken-down hips, the squeezing and crushing 




Platk 14. (a) Champion Oxford ram, winner of many prizes, (b) 
Champion Oxford ewe at the International, 1910. Both sheep shown 
by George McKerrow, Pewaukee, Wis. 



Winter Care and Feeding. 39 

of little lambs, and the abortion of ewes heavy 
with lamb. 

Again, plenty of room should be provided for 
sheep. A close, cramped condition is very dan- 
gerous, especially for pregnant ewes. Some au- 
thorities say that from eight to twelve square feet 
are not too much room for each breeding ewe. 
Of course the amount of space allowed each ewe 
will depend somewhat on the size and breed. 

LAMBING PENS. 

Most sheep breeders provide a separate enclos- 
ure in the sheep barn which is divided up into 
several small pens called "lambing pens." In these 
are placed the mothers with their newly born 
lambs, each family by itself. These lambing pens 
are of great value when lambs are born in the cold 
winter months, February or March, and prevent 
much annoyance from ewes disowning their lambs. 

EXERCISE FOR SHEEP IN WINTER. 

Too much emphasis cannot be placed on the im- 
portance of exercise for pregnant ewes. The 
more they walk and move about the stronger and 
healthier the lamb crop will be. If pregnant ewes 
have lots of exercise they will deliver their lambs 
more easily, and to a great extent this will prevent 
the lambs from coming wrong end first. The best 



40 Sheep Management. 

and most satisfactory way to get them to exercise 
freely is to haul their roughage out into the field 
and spread it in small bunches, so that they will 
have to run from one place to another to pick it 
up. John Miller, a very prominent and success- 
ful sheep breeder in Canada, makes it a point to 
have his breeding ewes walk two miles every day 
when the weather permits. They leave the home 
farm in the morning and walk to an adjoining 
farm one mile distant where the hay is fed, and 
then return again in the evening. 

On all days when the weather is favorable, 
breeding ewes should be out of doors for exer- 
cise. On all wet, rainy, or stormy days sheep 
should never be turned out. The flockmaster must 
exercise judgment in this respect. To let the sheep 
get their fleeces soaking wet in the winter time is 
a grievous mistake. There is not enough warm 
sunshine in winter to dry them out again, and 
sheep carrying wet coats on their backs are liable 
to contract colds or pneumonia, which may result 
in death. 

Some sheep owners allow their breeding ewes 
to exercise by picking on straw stacks. ThU 
method is not advisable, as a great deal of chaff, 
dirt, and other material gets into their wool. Oth- 
ers force their sheep to make their entire living all 
winter long from a straw stack. Such men as 



Winter Care and Feeding. 41 

these cannot expect their ewes to furnish much 
milk for their lambs when born, nor shear a heavy, 
clean fleece of wool. Some winters when a deep 
snow is on the ground it is difficult to get the ewes 
out from the barn any distance at all. Where a 
snow plow is kept on the farm a path can then be 
made out into the field for sheep to follow. If 
such a plow is not available two ten or twelve inch 
planks may be fastened together, like a stone boat, 
the front end being pointed. A horse may then be 
hitched to them, and the driver by standing on 
the planks can make a path wide enough to let the 
sheep pass through. By all means exercise the 
ewes in some manner, in order to insure a good 
lamb crop, for the good shepherd spares no effort 
in promoting the health and comfort of his breed- 
ing flock. The careless one depends largely upon 
the season and so-called "good luck," but good 
luck is a result of good judgment and good care. 
The returns in both cases are proportionate to the 
effort and care given. 

The best shepherds in this country claim that 
sheep should not be allowed to become wet from 
about October 1 to May 1. On the days in winter 
when the cold northwest winds are sweeping over 
the country, and when the wind almost cuts a 
man's face, sheep are much better off if kept in the 
barn. When exposed to these sharp, cold winds 



Winter (lure and Feeding. 43 

their eyes are affected, a white film covers them, 
and they become blind. It is often from two to 
three weeks before their eyes get well, and many 
flockowners have been quite alarmed at this trou- 
ble. Sheep that are affected in this way should 
be isolated from the flock and kept in the barn, 
not in a draught, until their eyes get well. A few 
drops of raw linseed oil put on the sore eyes once 
a day will help them heal. 

GESTATION PERIOD OF EWES. 

Records have been kept at this Station which 
show that the length of time that ewes carry their 
lambs varies considerably. These records have 
been kept for all the breeding ewes in the Station 
flock, including many different breeds. The date 
of service of each ewe, as well as the date of lamb- 
ing, has been recorded. These records, which ex- 
tend over a period of about twenty years, show 
that the fine wool breeds seem to require a longer 
gestation period than other breeds. Next to the 
fine wools may be placed the Cheviots. The aver- 
age gestation period of about 1200 ewes on record 
was from 146 to 147 days. The largest per cent 
of ewes have lambed at 146 days. In many in- 
stances Merinos have required a period of from 
150 to 154 days, and Cheviots in many cases a 
period of from 146 to 151 days. Whenever a ewe 



44 Sheep Management. 

carried her lamb or lambs from five to seven days 
overtime the result was usually weak or dead 
lambs. After careful study and observation the 
writer has been led to believe that outdoor life 
and giving ewes all the exercise possible hastens 
the date of lambing. 

The winter of 1910-11 was an unusually mild 
one in Wisconsin, especially in the southern part 
of the state. Because of this fine weather the Sta- 
tion flock of breeding ewes could be turned out 
into a field about a quarter of a mile away from 
the barn. Here the hay was spread so they had 
to pick it up. From the time that the ewes 
were bred until all had lambed they were turned 
out in this field daily on all but eleven days, when 
they were kept in on account of snowy or rainy 
weather. Our records for this year show that out 
of 60 ewes which lambed only ten carried their 
lambs from one to three days overtime. Four out 
of the 60 dropped their lambs on the proper day 
as given for them in Breeders' Memorandums, or 
so-called Breeders' Calendars, 147 days, while the 
remainder, 46 ewes, dropped their lambs at from 
one to five days ahead of 147 days. All lambs, 
whether dropped on or before time, were unusu- 
ally strong and healthy. The record for this year 
is quite different from that of former years, when 
on account of more snow and bad weather the 



Winter Care and Feeding. 4.~> 

Station flock could not get as much exercise and 
enjoy as much outdoor life, showing that the dif- 
ference in the vitality of the lambs and the shorter 
time they were carried must have been due to the 
abundance of outdoor life and exercise the ewes 
had. 

LAMBING TIME, THE SHEPHERD'S HARVEST. 

Lambing is perhaps the most critical time of the 
year for the shepherd. At this season he is ex- 
pected not only to be on strict duty during the day 
time, but must also sacrifice a good share of his 
night's sleep. The experienced shepherd knows 
that his success and the percentage of lambs raised 
depend in a great measure upon how closely he 
watches with his flock at lambing time. In Eng- 
land, for the sake of encouraging the shepherds to 
take the best care of their flocks and new born 
lambs, the owners pay an extra percentage for all 
lambs raised, in addition to the regular month's 
wages. 

EWES WITH TWINS AND TRIPLETS. 

As a result of proper mating and the thrifty con- 
dition of both ram and ewe at the time of breed- 
ing in the fall, a great many twins and even trip- 
lets may be expected. When the lambs begin to 
come, with their arrival all sorts of troubles pre- 
sent themselves, not nearly so much, however, with 



Winter Care and Feeding. 47 

the man who understands his business as with the 
man who is a beginner in the work. It is not wise 
to let ewes with twins or triplets remain with the 
whole flock. In fact, it is much better not to let any 
ewes remain after lambing with those that have 
not yet lambed, as the ones which have lambed 
need more feed. Ewes with twins or triplets, when 
left with other sheep, often disown one of their 
lambs. In the majority of instances the stronger 
lamb comes first, and soon after birth it looks for 
its first meal. Its mother, however, is in pains to 
deliver another lamb, and therefore she will not 
move away from the nest which she has selected 
for lambing, which is generally in one corner of 
the barn. Thus the mother does not follow her 
new-born lamb, but the other inquisitive sheep 
flock around to see the newcomer and often lead 
it away. The new-born lamb thus loses track of 
its mother, and the mother likewise loses the smell 
of her lamb and refuses to own it when she meets 
it again, since ewes recognize their lambs only by 
their smell and voice. Such ewes should, there- 
fore, be put away separately either in the lambing 
pens or in a special place temporarily prepared 
for them by means of hurdles placed in corners in 
the barn. Here they can be kept for a couple of 
days until mother and lambs are thoroughly fa- 
miliar with each other. 



-18 Sheep Management. 

EWES WITH SINGLE LAMBS. 

Ewes with single lambs often disown them on ac- 
count of the lack of milk to support them, caused 
by the fact that they have not been properly fed 
before lambing. Young ewes that have their first 
lambs belong to this class in particular. Each ewe 
should be put by herself with her lamb and be 
fed grain and milk-producing succulent feeds to 
start the milk flow. The lamb which does not get 
enough milk from its dam should in the meantime 
be helped along by means of cow's milk until its 
mother is in shape to care for it. 

LAMBS BORN WEAK. 

Once in a while a lamb is born in a weak condi- 
tion. The careful shepherd is on hand to assist it 
by lifting it up to its mother's udder, putting the 
teat into its mouth, and drawing some milk into 
the mouth with his fingers. This should be re- 
peated until the lamb, after it has once had the 
taste of milk and has gained strength, is able to 
stand and drink by itself. 

Some lambs, although they may be born strong, 
are unable to find the mother's teat. Ewes some- 
times have their udders wrapped up in dense or 
long wool, which makes it difficult for the lamb to 
find the teat. This is especially the case with 
Shropshires and long wool breeds. In such in- 



*» 



Winter Care and Feeding. 49 

stances the surplus wool should be removed at 
once with the sheep shears, and the lamb be as- 
sisted at its first meal. In rare cases it also be- 
comes necessary to open up the teat by squeezing 
out the little wax in the end of it. 

REVIVING THE ALMOST LIFELESS LAMB. 

Often a lamb has a hard struggle at birth and 
arrives in this new world almost exhausted, lying 
without any signs of lung action. The shepherd 
has assisted the ewe in bringing the lamb forward, 
but it seems to be almost, yet not quite, dead. All 
that shows the lamb to be alive may be a single 
quiver. Now is the time when he must act quickly 
to revive the lamb. The first thing is to clean all 
phlegm out of its mouth, then he must hold the 
mouth open with his two hands and blow gently 
three to four times into it to start up lung action. 
Now he must lay it on its belly and beat it slightly 
with his two hands, one on each side on its heart 
girth right back of the shoulder, and if it does not 
commence to breathe, he should blow into its 
mouth again. If there is the slightest bit of life 
left in the lamb, he will revive the lamb by this 
method. Many such lambs that at first sight ap- 
peared to be dead, have been revived by the writer 
in this manner. 

4 



50 Sheep Management. 

THE CHILLED LAMB. 

It is a matter of fact that lambs have been born 
out of doors at a temperature down to zero and 
sometimes even below zero, and yet have come out 
all right. However, even the strongest lamb is 
liable to become chilled if it has to remain for a 
while in extreme cold. The best way to revive a 
chilled lamb is to give it a hot bath in a pail or 
tub of water as warm as the hand can well bear. 
After this bath take a piece of woolen cloth and 
wipe the lamb dry, which will tend to start up the 
circulation of its blood. Wrap the little one in a 
warm, dry piece of cloth and place it for a while 
near a warm stove. When it has come to, a little 
warm milk taken from its mother should be given 
it to encourage strength. A few drops of whiskey 
in a little warm water would be beneficial to the 
youngster. After it has gained sufficient strength 
it should be returned to its mother. 

The lamb, however, needs to be watched for a 
few days as it becomes constipated from the ef- 
fects of its chilled condition. If such be the case, 
from one-half to one teaspoonful of castor oil may 
be given the lamb, depending on its size. If one 
dose does not have the desired effect, one or two 
more should be given until the bowels move 
properly. 



Winter Care and Feeding. 51 

ADOPTED LAMBS. 

If a ewe loses her lamb she may become a step- 
mother. A lamb may then be taken away from 
another ewe that has more than one lamb, and 
given to the ewe which has lost her lamb. This 
can easily be done by skinning the dead lamb and 
putting the skin on the lamb that is to be adopted. 
The odor of the skin of the deal lamb will make 
the ewe believe that it is her own. This skin must 
be removed in from 48 to 54 hours, or it may cause 
the lamb's own skin to decay. 

Another way is to hold a ewe about every two to 
three hours and let the lamb suck, and she will own 
it in five or six days. The ewe that is to adopt the 
lamb should be put into a small enclosure or tied 
with a halter so that she cannot bunt the lamb, 
as otherwise she may kill it. The writer has often 
taken lambs that did not get any too much milk 
from their own mothers and has let them drink 
the surplus milk of ewes with an overflow. 

NEWLY LAMBED EWES. 

All newly lambed ewes should be examined for 
a few days, both in the morning and the evening, 
to see whether the lamb or lambs are taking all 
the milk out of the udders. It is peculiar that 
some lambs will only suck on one side of the udder, 
and the milk which is left on the other side will 



52 Sheep Management. 

cake and spoil the udder. Often it takes a num- 
ber of days for the lamb or even for two lambs to 
use up all the milk. All this surplus milk should 
either be taken by another lamb or should be 
milked out as long as necessary in order to keep 
the udder from caking. 

ASSISTING THE EWE IN LAMBING. 

In spite of the fact that the shepherd has given 
his flock the proper feed and an abundance of ex- 
ercise, it sometimes happens that a ewe is abso- 
lutely unable to deliver her lamb or lambs. The 
ewe may have difficulty in delivering a lamb either 
because the lamb is unusually large, or because 
her passage way is too narrow, or because the 
lamb lies in the wrong position. Young ewes, 
lambing for the first time, have the most trouble 
in this respect. 

When a lamb has come forward far enough so 
that its nose and front feet are at hand, but its 
head is unable to pass through, the ewe must be 
assisted. Sometimes the lamb can be brought for- 
ward by pulling on its front feet, but this alone 
will not in all cases be sufficient. It often becomes 
necessary for the shepherd to place one of his 
hands on the outside of the vagina right back of 
the lamb's head and press and squeeze the lamb's 
head through. Another good way recently discov- 



Winter Care and Feeding. 53 

ered by the writer is to smear with the hand a lot 
of linseed oil on the inside of the vagina, espe- 
cially where the lamb's forehead sticks. This will 
soften np the vagina and allow it to stretch, and 
will also make the passage way more slippery. 
The writer has had cases where he feared that 
the lamb could never be delivered without cutting 
the ewe open, but after using linseed oil in the 
manner described the lamb came forward at once 
with no further trouble. 

If a ewe has passed the water bag and in about 
two to three hours does not show evidence of 
lambing, it becomes necessary to investigate the 
matter, as the lamb must be lying wrong, or be 
dead. Before investigating have your hands 
washed clean, and remove all long, sharp finger 
nails. Put a little carbolic acid or perhaps a little 
disinfectant, such as Zenoleum or Creso sheep 
dip, into some warm water, and scrub your hand 
and arm with it, so that they are thoroughly dis- 
infected and clean before beginning the work. 

Several different positions of the lamb may be 
the cause of non-parturition. The lamb may lie 
straight across the passage way, or with its front 
feet in the proper direction but its head turned 
back, or the hind end may come first and the hind 
legs under it; or perhaps one hind leg is forward 
and the other is backward. In the case of twins 




Plate 17. How the ewe is held when a lamb is taken from her, when 
parturition is possible in no other way. 



Winter (Wire and Feeding. 55 

or triplets, the writer has seen eases where the legs 
and tails of the two or three lambs were entan- 
gled, forming a round ball, so to speak. In any 
of these cases the lambs will have to be taken from 
the ewe. A person with a small hand can do this 
work most successfully. After the operator has 
disinfected his hand thoroughly in order to pre- 
tect himself and the ewe against blood poisoning, 
and has softened his hand with sweet oil or lard, 
he will turn the lamb to its proper position, which 
should be head and front feet first in the passage 
way. He must exercise great care not to injure the 
ewe after he has inserted his hand in the womb, 
or inflammation will set in. 

In some cases, the ewe with her natural pres- 
sure makes it impossible for the operator to insert 
his hand, and he may almost give up hope of sav- 
ing the ewe and lambs. Yet at this critical moment 
the operator must not lose his head. Two men 
should be called in to assist him. Place the ewe 
with her head in a corner so that she cannot go 
forward. The two men will each now take hold 
of a hind leg around the thigh and elevate the rear 
of the ewe, as is shown in the illustration. The 
pressure by the ewe will then cease and the lamb 
or lambs that have been pressed forward up to the 
narrow passage will naturally, on account of the 
elevation of the rear end of* the ewe, drop br.ck 




Plate 18. Flushing out the ewe after it has been necessary to take 
a lamb away from her. 



Winter Care and Feeding. 57 

into the natural lamb bed. The elevation of the 
ewe prevents her natural pressure to a great ex- 
tent, thus giving the operator a chance to untangle 
the lambs and turn them in the right direction and 
successfully bring them to daylight. After the 
lambs have been taken from the ewe the operator 
can take a lump of pure hog lard, the size of a 
hen's egg, and insert it in the womb of the ewe, 
where it will be very soothing and healing. The 
ewe may be given a tablespoonful of whiskey with 
perhaps a little gin to strengthen her. It may also 
be necessary to flush the ewe for two or three 
days once or twice daily by means of a rubber 
tube attached to a funnel, as shown in the accom- 
panying illustration. For one application one-half 
teaspoonful of permanganate of potash should be 
dissolved in a quart of warm water. The above 
method of elevating the ewe should never be fol- 
lowed unless one is absolutely certain that par- 
turition is possible in no other way. 

FEEDING THE EWE AFTER LAMBING. 

Some individual ewes in the flock are naturally 
heavier milkers than others, and this class is the 
most profitable to the owner. Where ewes have 
large udders the udders are very apt to become 
inflamed, and as a result the ewes will have milk 
fever if precautions are not taken with regard to 



58 Sheep Management. 

their feeding. Draughts and lying on wet floors 
in barns are also responsible for this trouble in 
many cases. To avoid milk fever feed the ewe 
but little grain for three days after lambing. The 
danger of milk fever is over after this time, and 
the ewe may gradually receive her full allowance 
of grain again. Roughage and succulent feeds do 
not cause milk fever and may safely be fed both 
before and after lambing. 

CAKED UDDERS. 

A bad chill or cold, or a wet floor, as well as im- 
proper feeding, is enough to cause inflammation 
in the ewe's udder. The best remedy for caked 
udders is as follows: Upset the ewe and bathe 
the udder with warm water for about five min- 
utes by means of a woolen cloth. When thor- 
oughly bathed, gently rub it dry with a dry cloth, 
and rub in some melted pure hog lard, using it 
as warm as the ewe can stand. This should be 
done at least three times a day. Mercurial oint- 
ment, or so-called "blue ointment," can also be 
highly recommended. The milk that has caked 
in the udder must be milked out as thoroughly as 
possible each time the application of water and 
lard is made. Make sure that the ewe has nice 
dry bedding. 



Winter (Wire and Feeding. o9 

EWES WITH SORE TEATS. 

Sore teats on ewes are generally brought about 
by the lambs. These youngsters often have very 
sharp teeth and in sucking not only bite the teat 
and make it sore, but also injure part of the udder. 
Ewes with udders in this condition refuse to let 
the lambs suck. When this state of things is first 
noticed milk out the milk from the udder at once 
in order to prevent clogging up and caking. Some 
vaseline should then be smeared on the sore spots 
at least three times a day until cured. Take a small 
file and file the front teeth of the lamb or lambs 
belonging to the ewe. File them down smoothly 
and make them somewhat flat on top, so that they 
cannot bite into the flesh and teats of their moth- 
er's udder. 

TAGGING THE EWES AT LAMBING TIME. 

All loose and filthy wool at the rear of the ewe 
should be clipped off, to prevent the lambs from 
biting it off and swallowing it. If ewes are not 
tagged and the lambs eat this filthy loose wool 
hanging about the dams it forms a sort of ball in 
the lamb's stomach, which stops the passage of the 
bowels and brings on death. 



60 Sheep Management. 

THE SHEPHERD'S ROOM. 

On account of the dangers of lambing time it is 
most essential that the shepherd be near the flock 
at all times during this period. As a good shep- 
herd must give up many hours of sleep in order to 
raise as large a percentage of lambs as possible, a 
small room should be provided for him in the 
sheep barn close to the lambing pens so that he may 
be comfortable during his weary watch. In this 
room should be a cot or bed upon which he can lie 
down when his duty does not require him to be 
with his flock. A stove should also be furnished so 
that the shepherd may keep warm in cold weather. 
By keeping a teakettle of water on the stove he 
will alwa}^s have warm water on hand, which is 
often needed. Otherwise, if he should find a 
chilled lamb which needs a warm bath at once to 
revive it, he will be compelled to run to the house, 
build a fire, and warm water, causing serious 
delay. 

Wealthy flockowners have even more furniture 
in the shepherd's room than is here mentioned. 
Good shepherds are always scarce, and if the 
flockowner is fortunate enough to have such a one 
he should make it as convenient and comfortable 
for him as possible during lambing time, his sea- 
son of hardest work. 



CHAPTER IV. 

HEARING THE LAMBS. 

Young lambs usually begin to nibble and eat 
grain, or hay and other roughage with their moth- 
ers at the age of two weeks. At this time the lamb 
can be assisted by giving it some extra feed, in 
addition to its mother's milk and the little other 
feed it may get in the regular feeding trough with 
the older sheep. It is remarkable how these little 
fellows will grow if some extra grain and some 
nice clover or alfalfa hay is given them. A few 
roots saved up for the little lambs are beyond 
valuation for their growth and development. 

The outcome and development of the flock de- 
pend largely upon the care the lambs get the first 
year. If the lambs are stunted then, they will al- 
ways be stunted and will never make their proper 
growth. If once stunted as lambs, no matter how 
much or what kind of feed they may receive 
afterwards, their further development can not be 
greatly changed. 

Another important factor which promotes the 
growth of lambs is to keep them in small groups 
in the barn with their mothers after they have been 
removed from the lambing pens. The writer has 



62 



Sheep Management. 



observed that these little fellows do much better 
when so treated than when a larger number is 
turned together when the lambs are still real 
young. 

There is no other time in a sheep's life when it 
makes such rapid and economical gains as in its 




Plate 19. Twin pure-bred Shropshire lambs at the University of 
Wisconsin. When three months old the ram on the left weighed 83 
pounds, and the wether on the right C>7 pounds. 

first year, and especially so in the first six months 
after birth. At the Wisconsin Experiment Station 
the writer has raised many lambs that made an 
average gain of five pounds per head each week 
up to the age of three months. It is not at all un- 
common for lambs to weigh fifty to sixty pounds 
when sixty days old. The accompanying illustra- 
tion shows a pair of pure bred Shropshire lambs, 



Hearing the Lamb. 63 

one a ram and the other a wether, raised at the 
Wisconsin Station. When three months old the 
ram lamb weighed 83 pounds and the wether 67. 

The little extra grain, hay, and other feed con- 
sumed by young lambs is well repaid, and feed- 
ing young lambs grain has many advantages. 
Lambs born in March may be pushed ahead so that 
they can be sold in May or early June, when 
they will bring as much, or more, than they would 
bring in the fall. There is then a scarcity of nice, 
fat, plump spring lambs on the market, and they 
sell all the way from nine to fourteen cents per 
pound live weight. 

On April 29 in the spring of 1910 at the Wiscon- 
sin Station we sold a grade Dorset lamb to a local 
butcher for fourteen cents per pound live weight. 
The lamb was forty-five days old and weighed 
forty-five pounds, bringing the sum of $6.30. A 
Hampshire was sold May 6, weighing forty pounds 
at forty-one days old, and bringing $5.60. Still 
another Hampshire was sold May 11, weighing 
fifty pounds at fifty-one days old, and brought 
$6.50 at thirteen cents per pound. If these same 
lambs had been sold at Chicago or New York a 
much higher price would have been received for 
them. 

When lambs are led extra grain and hay they 
do not suck their mothers down so in condition, 



64 Sheep Management. 

as there is some substantial food in their stom- 
achs and they do not have to depend entirely upon 
their mother's milk. It is a great pleasure to watch 
the little fellows eat and see them grow. The 
writer, engaged for many years entirely in sheep 
husbandry, has spent many five and ten minutes 
extra time outside of regular working hours, 
watching the little fellows assembled at the feed 
trough in the lamb creep enjoying their grain and 
nibbling some nice, bright hay and a few roots. 
If they should want more feed it is given them. It 
is just as much fun for the good shepherd to watch 
these lusty, growing, playful youngsters eat and 
play, as it is to watch a ball game. 

For the person who is interested in sheep this 
is a very opportune time to learn sheep judging. 
The lambs are lined up close together, both large 
and small ones, and their build and general make- 
up can easily be studied at this time. There is 
one perhaps that is very wide at its hind quarters, 
but becomes narrower towards its shoulders, while 
right next to it there may be another one which 
illustrates exactly the reverse shape, being broad 
in front and narrow behind. One has a long neck, 
the other a short one; another perhaps has a hump 
back or looks as if its legs were crooked and too 
long, or has a little too much black wool on its 
head. Now let us look and see if we cannot find 



Rearing the Lamb. 65 

a few good ones among them, some that are about 
perfect. Perhaps at the middle of the trough we 
can see two or three, or maybe more, that look 
somewhat different from the rest. They are short- 
legged, bloeky fellows, straight as a string on top, 
with sides from one end to the other just as 
straight and square as a timber coming out of a 
saw mill. They have short, thick necks, and carry 
nice, short, broad heads. The pleased shepherd 
realizes that they are unusually well-built lambs 
and will add some good material to his breeding 
flock and raise it to a higher standard. If perhaps 
he happens to be an exhibitor of sheep bright 
prospects loom up before him. He now feels as- 
sured that he has a good chance of winning some 
prizes with them at the county or state fairs, or 
perhaps even at the great International at Chicago. 
Remember, fellow sheepmen, that prize winners 
have to be built right, or rather, born right. Feed 
alone cannot and will not make them right. 

THE LAMB CREEP. 

The feeding of the lambs should be commenced 
just as soon as they will eat. This can best be done 
by means of a lamb creep, which can be set up at 
one side, corner, or end of the barn. The creep is 
very simple in construction and almost anyone can 
erect one. The material needed consists of two 

5 



66 



Sheep Management. 



boards as long as desired and one inch thick and 
six inches wide, and also strips or slats, three feet 
long and one inch thick by four inches wide. 




Plate 20. Lamb creep and feed troughs in the sheep barn at the 
University of Wisconsin. 

These strips are nailed on the two six-inch boards, 
thus forming a rack about three feet high. The 
slats should be put just far enough apart so as to 
let the lambs slip through and keep the old sheep 
out, as is shown in the accompanying illustration, 



Rearing the Lamb. 



67 



which shows a lamb creep in the interior of the 
sheep barn at the University of Wisconsin. Within 
the space, thus set off specially for the lambs, is 
placed a feed trough, having a flat bottom. This 







7-0"- 



■H 



Plate 21. Trough in which grain is fed to the young lambs. 



trough is constructed in the manner shown in the 
cut. The trough is about four inches deep and 
nine inches wide and rests on legs nailed to each 
end. At each end of the trough a piece of six-inch 
board is nailed on, to stand up over the feed trough 
eight inches. On top of these two upright boards 
another six-inch board is nailed across the entire 
length of the trough to prevent the lambs from 




Plate 22. Feed trough used at the University of Wisconsin, in 
which hay is fed to young lambs, and both hay and grain to older 
sheep. 



68 Sheep Management. 

stepping into it with their front feet. In this trough 
is put grain for the lambs. A simple and cheap 
hay rack, such as is shown in the cut, is used to 
feed the hay in. Young lambs are quite inquisi- 
tive, and when some grain and hay are placed in 
the creep, they will soon find the loop holes and 
begin eating. 

GRAIN RATION FOR YOUNG LAMBS. 

It has been found at this Station that a grain 
mixture consisting of two pounds of wheat bran, 
one pound of oats (whole oats will do, but crushed 
are better), one pound of finely ground cornmeal, 
and one-half pound of oilmeal has proved an ex- 
cellent grain ration for young lambs. Later in 
spring when the weather gets warmer the amount 
of cornmeal may be reduced and the amount of 
oats increased. Fine second crop clover or alfalfa 
hay will furnish the best roughage for young 
lambs. If some roots, such as turnips or rutabagas, 
are available, the youngsters will soon relish them. 

When the sheep and lambs go out to pasture 
the lamb creep can be moved out with them and 
set up in a corner where the lambs will soon de- 
tect it again. Some sheep breeders may say that 
lambs do not need any extra grain when they are 
out on good pasture and are suckling their moth- 
ers. Experiments conducted along this line at 



Rearing the Lamb. 69 

this Station have shown, however, that it pays 
well to feed a little grain to lambs all summer 
long. Even if such lambs are held over for fat- 
tening in the winter it has been learned that the 
lambs fed grain during the summer make more 
and cheaper gains than lambs of the same breed- 
ing and kind that do not receive any grain while 
on pasture. If the lambs are fed well during their 
first year one can figure on a well-developed flock. 
There is no danger of getting them too fat, either 
for breeding purposes or for the butcher, if an ex- 
cessive use of fattening grains is avoided. When 
well fed they grow so much that they do not lay 
on any surplus fat. 

THE USE OF COW'S MILK FOR LAMBS. 

Many people have made a failure of trying to 
raise lambs on cow's milk. Lambs may be suc- 
cessfully reared on such milk, however, if the 
proper precautions are taken in feeding. Young 
lambs are easily taught to drink cow's milk from 
a bottle with a rubber nipple attached to it, and 
after they have once tasted the milk they will 
quickly and freely run to the person carrying the 
bottle. The next plate shows how easily lambs 
may be taught to drink from the bottle. They may 
also be taught to drink out of a dipper. The reason 
why so many people have been unsuccessful in 



70 Sheep Management. 

raising lambs by hand is in most cases that they 
did not understand the difference between cow's 
milk and sheep's milk as regards richness and fat 
percentage. People have a general idea that pure 
cow's milk is too rich for lambs, but the writer is 
of a contrary opinion. He knows from analyses 




Plati-: 23. One lamb is happy, the other wishes his turn would 
come. Pure-bred Southdown lambs raised on the bottle at the Uni- 
versity of Wisconsin. 

of sheep's milk that cow's milk is much lower in 
fat percentage than sheep's milk. Some years ago 
at this College a grade Dorset ewe showed in a 
week's test 14.4 per cent of fat. Of course, her 
milk was richer than the average. It is astonish- 
ing to hear fairly well educated men say that one 



Rearing the Lamb. 71 

cannot feed cow's whole milk to lambs because it 
is too rich and will kill them. Such expressions 
of opinion seem laughable to the writer. 

RAISING LAMBS BY HAND. 

Raising lambs by hand is not generally a very 
profitable undertaking. Unless the lamb to be so 
raised is an exceptionally good one or a pure bred, 
it hardly pays to spend the time required, espe- 
cially considering the present high price of milk. 
The writer has, however, raised quite a number 
of lambs by hand, some of which made good and 
were prize winners at the International Show at 
Chicago. The lamb raised by hand has one ad- 
vantage over its cousin suckling its dam. When 
the milk flow of the mother begins to cease the 
hand-reared lamb may still get a full measure of 
milk, and the amount fed can be increased as the 
lamb grows in size, providing plenty of milk is 
available. 

There is more than one reason why some peo- 
ple have been unable to raise lambs by hand. One 
important reason is that they have not studied the 
instincts of the lamb and its mother. When the 
lamb suckles its mother it takes a little milk every 
little while, and this milk is warm and comes from 
a clean udder. When beginning to feed the young 
lamb on cow's milk the following points should be 



72 Sheep Management. 

observed: First, the milk should be taken from a 
cow whose milk tests high in fat. Second, for the 
first three or four weeks the milk from this one 
selected cow only should be fed to the lamb. 
Third, for the first few days and nights the lamb 
should be fed every two to three hours, and a 
small amount (say two or three tablespoonfuls, 
with a gradual increase) given it each time, so as 
not to overload its stomach. Fourth, the milk 
should be warmed up to 92 degrees Fahrenheit, 
which is about the warmth of sheep's milk. Care 
must be taken not to let the milk boil as this 
causes constipation. Fifth, the bottle and nipple 
should be thoroughly washed each time after use 
so as to prevent the collection of sour matter in 
them, which in time may poison the lamb. When 
the lamb is first born it is delicate and has a rather 
weak stomach, and therefore great care must be 
exercised in rearing it by hand. Later on when it 
has become a month or so old the task is not such 
a difficult one. 

MARKING THE LAMBS. 

In all pure-bred flocks at least, all lambs should 
be marked, in order to keep the breeding records 
straight and to avoid mistakes when the time 
comes to have the lambs registered. It is a com- 
mon statement among some sheep breeders that 



Hearing the Lamb. 



73 



lambs should not be marked when very young, be- 
cause the ear label, they believe, will make the 
lamb's ear hang downward instead of remaining 
erect. This idea is false. At this Station all lambs 
are marked either the first or second day after 
birth, and they surely carry their ears just as high 
and erect as if they had no label in them. Where 




Plate 24. Marking the lamh with the Dana ear label. 

marking is done when the lambs are very young 
it saves the owner much time and prevents mis- 
takes. It means a great deal of work later on to 
find the ewes and lambs that belong together if 
marking the lambs is postponed, and moreover 
mistakes may have already been made in regis- 
tering such lambs. It is much better to mark them 



74 Sheep Management. 

when young because of the time saved in doing 
so, and above all because of the assurance of keep- 
ing the record of breeding straight. 

When inserting the label into the lamb's ear be 
careful to cut the hole between the veins so as to 
prevent bleeding. The Dana Ear Label has given 
very good satisfaction for marking lambs at this 
Station. The preceding illustration shows the 
manner in which the lamb is held when the mark- 
ing is done. Another way to mark lambs is to 
tatoo their ears, but the writer does not consider 
this method nearly as good as using the ear label. 

CASTRATING LAMBS. 

No intelligent sheep breeder will allow his buck 
lambs to run without having them castrated. Only 
pure-bred buck lambs intended for breeding pur- 
poses are exempt from castration. The writer 
wishes he could use words strong enough to make 
those who have not operated on their lambs in 
the past appreciate the good results obtained from 
castrating them, and the evil results sure to fol- 
low when this is neglected. As a rule, at about 
the age of three to four months buck lambs begin 
to know that they are males, get restless, lose flesh, 
and as fall approaches become worse, jumping and 
riding each other, and hence getting in a thin con- 
dition, while castrated lambs get fat. When these 



Rearing the Lamb. 75 

buck lambs come to market in thin condition and 
with their testicles in them, which gives a strong 
taste to their meat, they will sell for $1.50 to 
$2.00 less per hundred pounds than lambs of the 
same age which have been castrated. Now flock- 
masters, is this difference in price not sufficient 
to set you to thinking and to make you decide to 
use the knife on your buck lambs in the future? 
At least the writer hopes that such will be the case. 

METHOD OF CASTRATION. 

Castration is not dangerous, if a little care is 
taken. Lambs can be castrated most easily and 
without much pain if the operation is performed 
when they are from one to two weeks old. Choose 
a nice, bright day, not a rainy, cold, or damp day. 
Select all lambs from the flock that are to be cas- 
trated, and fence them off in one end of the barn, 
providing it is done before going out to pasture. 
See that the barn is nicely bedded with clean 
straw. Mix a little disinfectant, such as carbolic 
acid or Zenoleum, in some clean, warm water, and 
disinfect your hands and knife in it. Then begin 
the work. First feel and make sure that both tes- 
ticles have come down. Any lamb whose testicles 
have not both come down should be left alone 
until they have both come down. Cut off one- 
third of the lower end of the bag, as is shown in 



Rearing the Lamb. 77 

the illustration, which will leave the testicles partly 
exposed. Draw them out either with your fingers 
or a pair of pinchers. All fat and loose skin should 
be left in and worked back with one hand. The 
entire cord should be pulled out, not cut off. Pour 
a little disinfectant in the two holes from which 
the testicles have been removed, and then lift the 
lamb over the partition to its mother. The reason 
for fencing off the lambs is this: When lambs 
have been castrated they are unable to run, and 
generally lie down. If mothers and lambs are left 
together the lambs may get hurt by having their 
mothers run over them when the shepherd is 
catching other lambs. The operator can perform 
the neatest and cleanest job, if accustomed to do 
it, by pulling the testicles by means of his teeth. 
In nearly all foreign countries no lambs are cas- 
trated in any other way. If a lamb has grown 
quite old and the cord is too strong to be pulled 
it may be scraped off back of the testicle; this will 
prevent bleeding. Whenever possible, castrating 
the lambs should be done in the morning, and 
every disturbance of the flock should be avoided 
during that day. 

DOCKING LAMBS. 

All lambs should be docked, ewe lambs when 
they are from eight to fourteen days old, and ram 
lambs from five to seven days after castration. 



Rearing the Lamb. 79 

When this is neglected flockmasters will suffer the 
loss of from twenty-five to fifty cents per hundred 
pounds on lambs when sold on the market, in 
proportion to the amount of dirt collected on the 
tails. We will not speak at all about the attract- 
iveness of a bunch of lambs that are uniformly 
docked. Docking sheep prevents the accumula- 
tion of a great deal of filth at their rears, and con- 
sequently to a great extent keeps them from be- 
coming infested with maggots, especially the fe- 
males. The fact that many ewes do not get with 
lamb at all is due to their not being docked. Many 
flockowners are afraid to dock their lambs because 
they believe they will bleed to death. No danger 
need be feared, however, if the operator is at all 
careful. 

There is more than one way to dock lambs. 
Their tails may be cut off with a sharp jack-knife. 
It used to be the custom to chop them off' on a 
block by means of a chisel and mallet. When 
either of these methods is used the lambs lose 
blood, especially the fleshier ones, and in very 
many instances die from excessive bleeding. 

If the lamb's tail is to be cut off the preferable 
way is to use a sharp knife rather than the chisel 
and mallet. One man must hold the lamb. The 
operator by feeling on the side of the tail can de- 
tect where the joints are. He should push the skin 



80 Sheep Management. 

on the tail back toward the body of the lamb, so 
as to leave some surplus skin to grow over the 
stub, and then cut the tail at a joint about one 
and one-half inches from the body. This cut 
should be made so quickly with the sharp knife 
that the lamb scarcely knows that its tail is off. 
If any particular lamb should bleed too much a 
piece of cord or binding twine may be tied very 
tightly on its tail close to the body. This will put 
an end to the flow of blood, and the cord may be 
removed from the lamb in about eight to ten hours. 
Docking with the knife should be done in the 
morning, so that the lambs can be watched to see 
how they are getting along. The writer knows of 
some men who performed this work in the even- 
ing and the next morning found several of their 
lambs dead, due to great loss of blood. In cool 
weather nothing need be put on the wound, but 
in warm weather and in fly time some pine tar 
should be applied in order to keep the flies and 
maggots off. 

Docking with pinchers is highly recommended. 
The plate on page 78 shows the method of dock- 
ing a lamb with pinchers, and Plate 27 shows a 
lamb which has just been docked. Ever since 
Joseph E. Wing invented these pinchers the writer 
has altogether abandoned the use of the knife for 
this purpose. By using the hot pinchers no danger 



Rearing the Lamb. 



81 



need be feared from loss of blood. Older sheep 
than lambs can be very successfully docked with 
pinchers. While it is perhaps a little painful for 
the lamb at the time, if done rightly not a drop of 
blood is lost, and after a few hours the lamb jumps 
and runs about as if nothing had happened to it. 




Plate 27. The proper way to hold a lamb while it is being docked 

or castrated. 

The pinchers can be heated nearly red hot in a 
common stove or in a blast torch, such as the tin- 
smith uses. Nine to ten lambs can be docked be- 
fore heating the pinchers a second time. This 
method of docking is a great relief to the shep- 
herd, since he does not need to worry for fear any 
of his lambs will lose too much blood and die. It 
also does away with all the squirting of blood over 

6 



82 Sheep Management. 

the barn and over the ewe's face and wool. There 
will also be no lost blood to be restored by feed, 
since it requires just so much blood to maintain 
a lamb. While the healing process of the tail is 
somewhat slower than if cut with a knife, never- 
theless, taking all into consideration, this method 
proves more satisfactory in the end. In warm 
weather, just as in the case of cutting with the 
knife, put pine tar on the wound, in order to avoid 
maggots. 

On the western ranges where large numbers of 
lambs are raised annually a general so-called 
"round-up" is made, at which castrating and dock- 
ing is done at the same time. The ranchman saves 
time and labor in doing this work all at once, but 
this is no reason why the smaller flockowner 
should follow his example. When both opera- 
tions are performed at once, it naturally gives the 
lamb a great shock and setback. The large flock- 
owner of the West may perhaps save enough time 
by performing both operations at once to pay for 
the loss of lambs, especially since range lambs are 
not worth so much per head as the better grade of 
lambs owned on the smaller farms. The smaller 
flockowner, however, cannot afford to follow his 
example. 



Rearing the Lamb. 83 

WEANING THE LAMBS. 

The idea prevalent among flockmasters that 
lambs should wean themselves is in many ways 
not a good one. When a lamb has had its moth- 
er's milk from four and one-half to five months 
it is best to wean it. The breeding ewe is continu- 
ously laboring for her young from the time of con- 
ception, and if the lamb is not weaned from her 
before breeding time comes again she does not 
have a chance to rest at all. This rest, however, 
is very necessary for preserving her vitality and 
health. It has also been found that it is much bet- 
ter for the lamb to be weaned at the age of about 
five months. The lambs can then be turned on a 
fresh pasture by themselves where they do not 
draw any more parasites from the excrements of 
their dams. 

The best way to proceed is to take the lambs 
away from the ewes, turn them on some fresh 
pasture, and not allow them to get back to their 
mothers again. Some flockmen allow the lambs 
to go back to their mothers after two or three days 
in order to remove the milk that has accumulated 
in the udder during the lamb's absence from its 
mother. This practice, however, is a poor one. 
Milk collected in the udder by a worrying ewe 
after her lamb has been taken from her is abnor- 
mal and has often done damage to the lamb. 



84 Sheep Management. 

Ewes and lambs find their first parting very 
bitter and they bleat for two days and nights until 
they finally forget each other. When the lambs 
are turned back again to milk out the ewes the old 
relationship is renewed, and it becomes hard for 
them to part a second time, to say nothing of the 
work of separating them. 

CARE OF THE LAMBS AFTER WEANING. 

When the lambs have been weaned they should 
have the run of some good, fresh pasture. The 
lambs will greatly enjoy grazing on land where 
one crop of hay has been cut and the new grass 
is coming up again, or on a piece of rape that has 
been sown in early spring. By turning them on 
new pasture the danger of stomach worms and 
other parasites is avoided to a large measure. 
Good, clean pasture is also necessary for them in 
order to avoid a check in their growth, as a result 
of the loss of their mother's milk. 

CARE OF THE EWE AFTER WEANING. 

After the lambs have been taken from the ewe 
great care must be taken to prevent the udder of 
the ewe from caking. Many mistakes are made in 
this regard. The best producing ewes in the flock 
are the ones that generally have their udders 
caked, for the reason that they continue to give 




Plate 28. Milking a ewe with two hands to hasten the work. 



86 Sheep Management. 

milk and this milk is not removed. While some 
ewes, as elsewhere stated, do not furnish their 
lambs very much milk at weaning time, others 
still have an abundance. Some ewes may be dried 
up in a few days, while others require a couple of 
weeks time to dry them up. In either case they 
should be given just as much attention as is given 
to cows when they are being dried off. The re- 
duction in milk may be hastened along by putting 
the ewes on scant pasture for a few days. 

The method of drying up ewes practiced by the 
writer is as follows: On a nice, cool morning 
when there is a prospect of having cool weather 
for a few days the lambs are all separated from 
the ewes. The ewes are then put on scanty pas- 
ture. The next day all the ewes are collected to- 
gether in a fence corner in the field. One is caught 
and milked out, two hands being used to hasten 
the work, as is shown in the preceding illustra- 
tion. Milking the ewe with two hands is ac- 
complished by bringing her rear up against a 
fence, so she cannot go backward, and placing the 
two knees against her shoulders to prevent her 
from going forward. When partly milked out, 
just enough to keep the udder soft, she is turned 
loose and the next one is treated in the same way, 
and so on until all have been gone over. After 
two days' time they are again milked out in the 



Hearing the Lamb. 87 

same manner. Some ewes do not need any more 
attention after the second milking. Such ewes are 
marked on their backs with blue chalk to indicate 
that they are dry. Three more days should elapse 
before the next milking is done, and all those dry 
are check-marked. Another five days pass by and 
still a few more ewes have to be milked out. This 
is generally the last time they are milked out, 
with the exception perhaps of one or two who are 
extremely heavy milkers. In this way not a single 
udder will be spoiled. 



CHAPTER V. 

SHEARING AND DIPPING THE FLOCK. 

When warm weather comes on, flockowners 
should begin to think about shearing their sheep. 
In the Eastern, Middle, and Southern States, shear- 
ing commences about April 1 in most instances. 
Sheep in the Western States are, however, sheared 
somewhat later. Of course the time of shearing 
will depend largely upon the weather, the season, 
and the locality. Some sheepowners wait much 
later than the date mentioned for they know that 
when sheep are sheared real late in the season 
and after they have been on grass for a long time 
they have more yolk in their wool and hence 
shear a heavier fleece than when they are sheared 
early. The writer has known of cases where sheep 
were compelled to carry their heavy coats as late 
as the middle of June, through the hottest kind of 
weather, all because an increase of yolk and a 
heavier fleece were desired. It is true that the 
wool will contain more yolk when the sheep have 
been on grass for a long time previous to shear- 
ing, but there are disadvantages which more than 
counterbalance this fact. Often while flockown- 
ers are waiting for an increase of yolk in the wool 



90 Sheep Management. 

the sheep will lose part of the wool on their bel- 
lies, necks and rears. Jnst as apples will drop off 
the tree when they are ripe, wool on sheep will 
fall off when ripe. 

Moreover, when hot weather comes on while 
the sheep are still unshorn they will suffer greatly 
from the heat, and for this reason will lose flesh 
rapidly. When sheep are put on grass, owing to 
the resultant looseness of their bowels, their fleeces 
may get soiled, which lowers the quality of the 
fleece and also makes shearing disagreeable. 

The cruelty of allowing the unshorn sheep to 
suffer from the heat should also be considered. It 
seems pitiful to see sheep lying by the side of a 
fence with their mouths wide open and tongues 
hanging out, panting and suffering from heat in 
the hot weather, simply because the owner is wait- 
ing for an increase of yolk and a heavier fleece. 
If flockmasters would only consider for a moment 
that the loss of flesh and body weight and the dan- 
ger of the shedding of wool is far greater than 
any possible gain in yolk, then such foolish ideas 
would not so generally prevail. It is therefore 
clear that when the weather begins to get warm 
sheep ought to be freed from their heavy winter 
clothes, and an intelligent sheep breeder never 
thinks of waiting for more yolk. If sheep are fed 
as they ought to be during the winter, a good 



Shearing and Dipping the Flock. 91 

amount of yolk will surely be found in their wool 
when they are sheared, without waiting for grass 
to put yolk into it. Washing before shearing is 
no longer practiced since the woolen mills can 
clean the wool much better and more cheaply 
than the sheepman. 

Shearing is now done mostly with machines, 
which are great improvements over hand shears. 
The shearing machine has the following advan- 
tages over the hand shears: First, the work is 
done more rapidly than with a hand shears; sec- 
ond, it is a neater and smoother job; third, sheep 
are not cut into nearly as much as with a hand 
shears; fourth, it is easier to learn shearing with 
the machine; fifth, using a shearing machine is 
not so hard on the shearer's wrist as using a hand 
shears; and sixth, a larger amount of wool is ob- 
tained because the sheep can be clipped closer. 
When a man is once familiar with the use of the 
machine he can shear many more sheep a day, 
and he can hardly be induced to go back to the 
use of the hand shears. A careless shearer should 
not be employed to shear either with hand shears 
or with a machine, for a rough, careless man can 
hurt the sheep badly by either method. Such a 
shearer, however, will cut the sheep worse with a 
machine than with the hand shears. If the cutter 
is held down too far on cue side a furrow is plowed 



92 



Sheep Management. 



through the sheep's skin. Some shearers who are 
not careful when performing this work cut off the 
ends of the teats of ewes, which spoils them for 




Plate 30. Shearing sheep with a shearing machine at the University 

of Wisconsin. 



nursing lambs. Others cut off the end of the 
vagina, which, it is claimed by some authorities, 
stops them from further breeding. Such men as 



Shearing and Dipping the Flock. 93 

these should certainly not be allowed to shear 
sheep. 

In older countries shearers tie up all four legs 
of the sheep to prevent it from struggling. This 
old-fashioned way, however, should not be prac- 
ticed in America. A sheep, if properly held, can- 
not do a great deal of struggling. Just how to hold 
the sheep in the many different positions neces- 
sary while shearing it could hardly be fully ex- 
plained, but must be learned through actual prac- 
tice. The best way for the beginner to learn how 
to hold and shear sheep is to watch an expert 
shear a few sheep. It may be stated, however, 
that in every position the sheep must be held so 
as to draw the skin tight where the shearer is 
working. The sheep should also always be held in 
the most comfortable position instead of in the 
cramped positions in which some shearers hold 
sheep. One of the positions in which the sheep 
is held while being sheared is shown in the ac- 
companying illustration. 

TYING UP THE FLEECE. 

The fleeces should be neatly tied up in order to 
make them look attractive to the buyer. The side 
of the fleece which was next to the sheep's skin 
should be placed on the outside when the fleece 
is tied up, in such a way that no parts of the for- 



94 Sheep Management. 

mer exterior of the fleece when on the sheep are 
seen in the bundle. This can be done very easily 
by a good shearer, as he should be able to take off 
a fleece from a sheep all in one piece, like an over- 
coat, with the exception, perhaps, of the belly 
piece. Regular wool twine should be used in tying 
up the wool. Binder twine or other sharp cord 
should never be used, as small bits of fiber get 
into the wool and must be picked out by hand 
since they do not take dyes. Therefore manufact- 
urers object seriously to the use of such twine, and 
make a reduction in the price of the wool if it is 
used. All filthy parts on the fleece, if there should 
be any at all, should be separated at the time the 
fleece is tied up and never tied up with the fleece, 
for a man can fool a buyer but once. 

A wool buyer once told the writer about a man 
from whom he had bought very heavy fleeces of 
wool. On closer examination he found that the 
fleeces had been sprinkled with sand at the time 
of tying them up, to make them heavier in weight. 
Another man had tied up a sheep's skin in a fleece. 
Still others had turned their sheep out during a 
rain in order to increase the weight of wool. All 
such tricks as these are soon disclosed, and in the 
future work strongly against the men who perform 
them. Therefore, brother sheepmen, always be 
honest and do not be guilty of such trickery, for 



Shearing and Dipping the Flock. 



95 



you will find that honesty is always the best policy. 
A wool box may be used in tying up the fleeces, 
the use of which will add greatly to their attract- 
iveness. The accompanying illustration shows a 
well tied fleece, lying on the wool box by means of 




Platk 31. An unusually heavy fleece, weighing 17.25 pounds, taken 
from a Shropshire ram at the University of Wisconsin. 

which it was tied. However, wool buyers prefer 
to have the fleeces tied up neatly without the use 
of the wool box, as less twine is then used. If one 
is careful in removing the fleece from the sheep a 
fleece may be tied up in a satisfactory manner 
without the use of the wool box. 



96 Sheep Management. 

SHEARING EWES BEFORE OR AFTER LAMBING. 

When ewes have been bred late in the fall, which 
of course, brings them to lamb late in the spring, 
they can be sheared before lambing. Shearing the 
ewes before lambing has the following advantages: 
Ewes sheared before coming in keep much cleaner 
at the rear than those with their wool on. There 
is also no danger of lambs biting off' wool from 
their mothers and swallowing it, which will cause 
balls of wool to form in their intestines, thus stop- 
ping up the bowels and killing the lambs. When 
the ewes are shorn lambs will find their mother's 
teat more easily, and the time taken to trim the 
wool away around the udder is saved. An- 
other point in favor of shearing before lambing 
is the fact that ewes with their coats on often re- 
main outdoors during rains or severe cold, and 
their lambs naturally stay at their side. The old 
sheep, being well protected by their fleeces, do 
not mind the rain or the cold, but the young lamb 
with its short wool gets chilled or wet to the skin 
and catches cold, this often bringing on pneu- 
monia and finally resulting in the death of the 
lamb. On the other hand, if the old sheep have 
been sheared at this time and the barn doors are 
left open for them, they will run to the barn and 
seek shelter just as soon as it turns cold or begins 
to rain, thereby protecting not only themselves 



Shearing and Dipping the Flock. 97 

but also their lambs. Some of our best sheep 
breeders favor shearing before lambing, and keep 
up this practice each year. Of course, these men 
do their shearing themselves and in the most care- 
ful manner. 

When ewes are sheared before lambing, only 
the most competent and careful shearers should 
ever perform the work, and even such men must 
use extreme care and patience to make sure that 
none of the ewes heavy with lamb are injured, re- 
sulting in abortion. Therefore, unless the most 
competent and painstaking shearers can be se- 
cured, in spite of the advantages of shearing be- 
fore lambing, the writer would in general advise 
that ewes lamb before being sheared. However, 
when ewes are due to lamb late in the season it 
may be best to shear them before they lamb. 

DIPPING A NECESSITY. 

At least once a year the flock should be dipped 
in order to rid it from ticks and also from lice, if 
the latter should be present. The best time to dip 
is shortly after shearing. A nice, warm, sunshiny 
day should be selected for this work, and it should 
preferably be done in the morning so as to give 
the sheep a chance to dry out again before night. 
Any one of the many recommended coal tar dips 
may be used. Dipping the flock is strongly ad- 

7 



98 Sheep Management. 

vised not only for the purpose of killing ticks and 
lice but also in order to promote the health of the 
skin and to further the growth of the wool. For 
this reason many sheep breeders dip each year, 
in spite of the fact that they know their flocks are 
free from vermin. Many even dip twice a year, 
in spring and in fall, because they realize the bene- 
fit derived therefrom. 

In case a flockmaster does not find time to dip 
his whole flock because of the rush of other farm 
work, he ought at least dip the lambs in the 
spring. As a rule not many flocks are entirely 
free from ticks. If the old sheep have been sheared 
clean and no patches of wool are left on them 
ticks will move off from them and find new homes 
and shelter on the lambs, which have more wool 
on them at this time than the old sheep that have 
been sheared. Eight to ten days after shearing 
all the ticks will have moved off from the old 
sheep onto the lambs, and the lambs should be 
dipped to destroy them. It is preferable, however, 
to dip the entire flock if possible. 

In dipping the sheep it is not necessary for the 
head of the sheep to get into the dip, as no ticks 
or lice will hardly ever be found here, since the 
sheep can rub and scratch its head easily, thus 
keeping these pests off from this part. Further- 
more, it is not the best thing for a sheep to get 



Shearing and Dipping the Flock. 99 

the dip into its mouth, eyes, and ears. However, 
all other parts of the body up to the head, should 
be kept in the dip not less than one minute. The 
dip will be more effective if the solution is luke- 
warm, and the sheep will not then be chilled when 
taking a bath in it. 

The cut on page 88 shows the pen into which 
sheep are driven when they are to be dipped, the 
dipping vat, and the draining pen, where the sheep 
remain until they have nicely drained. The vat 
is made of galvanized iron, and is movable, so 
that after all the sheep are dipped, the vat can be 
stored away in the draining pen, where it will be 
well protected and will therefore last for many 
years. The size of the vat necessary depends on 
the size of the flock kept on the farm. The drain- 
ing pen is so arranged that all the dip which runs 
off the sheep while they are dripping runs back 
into the vat. 

The writer does not understand why dipping is 
neglected by some sheep owners. It is impossible 
for sheep to make any progress when they are cov- 
ered with ticks and lice which annoy them day 
and night. When sheep are infested with these 
pests they have no rest at all. They are kept busy 
biting their wool and scratching continuously and 
seeking every sharp corner or post to rub against 
in fighting the insects. 



100 Sheep Management. 

It is difficult to estimate how much feed is wasted 
and how much flesh is lost when ticks or lice are 
present in a flock. It is certain, however, that a 
great portion of the feed consumed by the sheep 
helps to support these pests. They suck much 
blood out of the sheep, and this blood which the 
sheep needs for its maintenance must be restored 
through the feed, which should be used by the 
sheep for its growth and development. Therefore 
it is very unwise to let sheep suffer from such 
pests through failure to dip them at least once a 
year. 

TRIMMING THE FEET. 

It is most essential that sheep have their feet 
taken care of just as well as any other part of their 
bodies. It is necessary to attend to their feet, first, 
to prevent foot rot, and second, to avoid crooked 
and broken-down pasterns. There is some dif- 
ference in the amount of care necessary for the 
various breeds of sheep. In general, the feet of 
sheep which produce the finest grade of wool need 
most attention. The hoof of the Merino, which 
has the finest wool, grows much more rapidly 
than that of other breeds, and the feet of South- 
downs, the breed next finest in wool, also need 
more attention than do the Oxfords, Cheviots, or 
long wool breeds, which have the coarser fleeces. 
However, any breed of sheep ought to have its 



Shearing and Dipping the Flock. 



101 



feet trimmed at least twice a year, in spring and 
fall. Fine wool breeds, as mentioned before, 
should be given attention in this respect oftener 




Plate 32. Trimming the hoofs of a sheep with a jack-knife. 

than twice a year. When sheep are neglected with 
regard to this matter the outside horny part of the 
hoof grows over the sole. A hollow space is thus 
left between hoof and sole in which dirt collects, 



102 



Sheep Management. 



and this finally begins to make the foot sore, with 
the result that foot rot sets in. 

As has been mentioned, the second danger is in 
crooked and broken-down pasterns. Many good 
sheep have been disregarded in the show ring on 
account of crooked feet and broken-down pas- 
terns, due to neglect of the shepherd in not trim- 
ming their feet at the proper time. Foot trim- 
ming is a phase of sheep husbandry that requires 
the flockmaster's attention just the same as feed- 
ing and shearing. 




Plate 33. Pruning knife, or clippers, used in removing the largest 
portions of the surplus hoof. 

In the spring after shearing is the best time to 
trim the feet of the flock. In order to do this work 
quickly it is well to turn the sheep out on damp 
ground for several hours, which will clean their 
hoofs and make the horny part soft so that it will 
cut easily. A clipper, also called a pruning knife, 
such as is shown in the illustration, may be used 
to remove the largest portion of the surplus hoof, 



Shearing and Dipping the Flock. 103 

and a sharp jack-knife to finish it. If the feet are 
properly softened a jack-knife may do all the 
work satisfactorily. The hoof should be cut down 
so as to make it level with the sole of the foot. In 
some cases one side will need a little more cutting 
than the other in order to make the foot stand 
straight when placed on the ground. A. O. Fox, 
one of the oldest and foremost sheep breeders in 
Wisconsin, once said to the writer: "A shepherd 
who does not take care of the feet of his flock is 
just as dangerous as the one who does not feed 
his flock properly," and this is certainly true. 




Plate 34. Cheviot ram lamb winning first prize at the International, 
1910, shown by F. L. Postle & Son, Ohio. 





• 1 

MlHHHIIH 




^rw ^ 


• * 


* - , / V w ■ ■ 


J] j i I 



Plate 35. Flock of Cheviot ewes, property of Lantz Bros., Illinois. 



CHAPTER VI. 

PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF 
PARASITES. 

The flockmaster has little work with his sheep 
in the summer when they are on pasture, aside 
from keeping them free from parasites. These in- 
sects have caused the loss of thousands of lambs 
and sheep and have, in some cases, discouraged the 
flockowners so thoroughly that they have dropped 
out of the sheep business. Among these parasites 
the stomach worm is perhaps the one that has 
done the most damage to sheep husbandry. On 
land where rotation of crops is not practiced and 
old meadow pastures that cannot be tilled are used 
continuously during many years for pasturing 
sheep, the infection with parasites is much greater 
than on land where the rotation plan is followed 
and sheep are changed to new, fresh ground each 
year. The danger of stomach worms is not 
nearly so great in winter as in summer, and the 
months of July, August, and September are the 
most serious times for the flockowner. The writer 
has known, nevertheless, of a few instances where 
sheep have died in winter and early spring from 
infection with these pests. 



106 Sheep Management. 

SYMPTOMS OF STOMACH WORMS. 

A person who is familiar with the subject of 
sheep husbandry can easily detect any member in 
the flock that is infested with stomach worms. The 
sheep so infested usually hangs back from the rest 
of the flock, walks somewhat stiff, and shows loss 
of flesh. Its wool becomes harsh and appears dry 
and in many cases the sheep will scour. The sheep 
looks weak and dull and lets its head hang low, 
and it often happens that a soft kind of swelling 
forms under the lower jaw during the day time 
and disappears again by the next morning. In 
this condition sheep eat a great deal of earth wher- 
ever they find it and drink more water than usual. 
Some of them withstand these worms for a long 
time, while others die within two weeks to ten 
days or even a shorter period from the time they 
first show symptoms of the disease. Many sheep 
may die in a flock, and yet the owner will have no 
clue as to the cause of their death. In order to 
make sure that a sheep which shows any of the 
foregoing symptoms is suffering from worms, pull 
down its lower eyelid and note the color of the 
mucous membrane, or inside lining, of the eyelid. 
It should be of a pink color, showing an abundance 
of blood. If, however, it is of a pale, yellowish 
color and the skin on the side of the sheep also 
appears pale when the wool is parted, the owner 



Prevention and Treatment of Parasites. 107 

may invariably be certain that stomach worms 
are at work in the sheep. This pale condition is 
due to the fact that these worms suck all the blood 
out of the animal, and it will finally die because of 
this loss of blood. When lambs which are badly 
infested with these worms are killed they have 
been found to have scarcely any blood left in them. 
Stomach worms are only found in the fourth 
stomach of the sheep. When this stomach is care- 
fully opened a dark brown fluid will be observed, 
which contains thousands of little worms of a red- 
dish color, about three-fourths of an inch or an 
inch long and as thick as a hair. This mass of 
worms is responsible for the death of the lamb. 
It may be in place to repeat here that older sheep 
are not subject to stomach worms as commonly 
as are lambs, but the writer wishes it clearly un- 
derstood that older sheep are not entirely exempt 
from these pests. As far as is known these worms 
get their start in the body of the older sheep and 
pass out in the droppings. It is thought that when 
these worms leave the sheep they are loaded with 
eggs which soon hatch. The young worms do not 
stay down on the ground but seek a temporary 
abode on the stems and leaves of grass and are 
thus swallowed by sheep grazing thereon. These 
worms are perhaps thickest around the shade trees 
in pastures, where sheep spend most of their time 



108 Sheep Management. 

during the hottest hours of the summer day. Most 
of the droppings of the ewes are found here and 
consequently the freshest and nicest grass grows 
in this place. The innocent lambs get up from 
their shady resting place, begin nibbling on this 
fresh-looking grass, eat grass and worms together, 
and the worms find their natural homes in the 
lambs' stomachs and begin the work of destruc- 
tion at once. It is peculiar that older sheep pos- 
sess a certain instinct which keeps them from eat- 
ing very much near shade trees but leads them off 
for a distance, just as if they realized the danger 
at hand. The lambs, like other young animals, 
are easily caught in the trap, and thus are infested 
with the worms more than the older sheep. The 
older sheep also seem to possess more power to re- 
sist the attacks of stomach worms. Experiments 
carried on at the agricultural colleges have clearly 
demonstrated that lambs get these parasites on 
pasture. At the Ohio Experiment Station lambs 
that were fed all summer in a barn were kept free 
from parasites, while others that were turned out 
to pasture were badly infested. 

THE PREVENTION OF STOMACH WORMS. 

It is far easier to prevent infection with stomach 
worms than it is to destroy the worms when the 
sheep have become infested with them. Nothing 



Prevention and Treatment of Parasites. 109 

can be more highly recommended for the pre- 
vention of stomach worms in sheep than the fre- 
quent change of pasture, for sheep become infested 
with these pests only by swallowing the worms 
while grazing. If possible sheep should be changed 
to fresh, clean pasture every two to three weeks 
during June, July, August, and September, for dur- 
ing warm weather otherwise clean pastures may 
become infested in even less time by sheep graz- 
ing thereon. Fields on which no sheep or goats 
have grazed for a year, and plots which have been 
plowed and cultivated since sheep grazed on them 
are practically free from infection. Old blue 
grass pastures are especially to be avoided. It 
is thus clear that annual pastures, such as rape, 
furnish clean pasture for the flock. In the warmer 
sections it is necessary to begin changing to fresh 
pasture earlier in the spring and to change more 
frequently in the summer. This method requires 
several separate, clean pasture lots, but flockmas- 
ters who have followed this method have had little 
trouble with parasites. 

In some cases it is impossible for the flockm as- 
ter to change pastures as frequently as has been 
recommended above. For such instances it is to 
be hoped that some remedy may be found which 
will be a sure preventative of stomach worms. 
During the last few years some medicated stock 



110 Sheep Management. 

salts have been placed on the market which the 
manufacturers claim will prevent and destroy all 
parasites in sheep, but at this time the writer is 
unable to state whether these products will do the 
work satisfactorily or not. Some breeders claim 
that feeding tobacco prevents parasites. Others 
recommend the use of turpentine and wood ashes, 
mixed with salt. 

Sheep should never be allowed to drink stag- 
nant water from old ponds or mud holes in which 
all sorts of insects live. When sheep are allowed 
to drink such stagnant water, covered with a green 
scum, they are liable to become infested with 
parasites and also contract many diseases such as 
anthrax and others nearly as serious. The writer 
wishes to again impress upon flockmasters the 
great danger of allowing their sheep to drink such 
stagnant water. Fresh, pure water should be pro- 
vided for the sheep every day of the year, and as 
much of it as they want. The idea so commonly 
held that sheep do not need water is entirely 
wrong. Sheep should always have access to fresh, 
pure water, since they need it just as much as any 
other farm animal. 

TREATMENT FOR STOMACH WORM. 

A number of remedies can be recommended 
which have proved satisfactory for destroying 



Prevention and Treatment of Parasites. Ill 

stomach worms. Gasoline, turpentine, benzine, 
and others are excellent for this purpose, and will 
also destroy tape worms in sheep. Among these 
remedies gasoline is the writer's favorite, for in 
his experience this has given the best results. 

The unfortunate lambs or sheep that are to un- 
dergo this treatment should be separated from the 
rest of the flock in the evening and be shut off in 
a barnyard or perhaps a stable, where they can- 
not get anything to eat or drink over night. In 
the morning the stomachs will be fairly empty 
and this will render it possible for the dose to en- 
ter quickly into the fourth stomach of the sheep, 
where the worms are located. The sheep will 
therefore now be ready for the first dose. 

SIZE OF DOSE. 

When either gasoline, turpentine, or benzine is 
used, the size of the dose is practically the same. 
The dose for iambs is as follows: 

5 ounces of cow's whole milk. 

1 tablespoonful of gasoline. 

1 tablespoonful of raw linseed oil. 

This dose, which is to be mixed up separately 
for each lamb, should be well shaken in a small- 
necked bottle like that in Plate 36 and given to the 
lamb. For older sheep the dose of gasoline, tur- 



112 



Sheep Management. 



pentine, or benzine is from one tablespoonful to 
one and one-half tablespoonfuls (not teaspoon- 
fuls) according to the size of the sheep, while the 
amount of milk and of linseed oil is the same. This 
treatment, when repeated for each animal for 
three successive mornings, will 
certainly, if handled right, be a 
cure for stomach worms. Of 
course, each time the sheep must 
have been deprived of all food 
over night. The dose may be given 
every alternate day in case the 
lambs have become very weak 
before the trouble was noticed. 
Some authorities recommend that 
another single dose of the mix- 
ture be given ten days after the 
third dose. In former years the 
writer used only the milk and 
gasoline for dosing, but in later 
years he has also added linseed 
oil, for the reason that lambs take this mixture 
more easily and do not mind the strength of the 
gasoline so much when it passes through the 
mouth and throat. This linseed oil also helps to 
carry off the worms that are killed, but does not 
weaken the dose in any way. 




Plate 36. Drench 
ing bottle. 



Prevention and Treatment of Parasites. 113 



DRENCHING SHEEP. 



Great precautions must be taken when admin- 
istering medicine to sheep so as not to strangle 
them, as even some older sheepmen have choked 
lambs by drenching them. 
Giving medicine to sheep 
is not a serious job, how- 
ever, if enough care is ex- 
ercised. In administering 
medicine place the lambs 
to be treated in a narrow 
space so that they may be 
caught without chasing, 
catch one, and back it into 
a corner. If the sheep is 
small enough, straddle it, 
otherwise stand on its 
right side as is shown in 
the accompanying illustra- 
tion. Now place your left 
hand on its jaw with the 
thumb of the left hand in its mouth on the tongue 
and between the front and back teeth, opening the 
mouth so that the neck of the bottle may be placed 
on its tongue. Be careful not to hold its head up 
too high, for in this unnatural position it may 
choke. Pour the contents of the bottle slowly down 




PLATE 37. The manner in 
which a large sheep is 
drenched. 




Plate 38. How to drench any sheep which is not too large to be 

straddled. 



Prevention and Treatment of Parasites. 115 

its throat, perhaps one-third or one-half of it at 
one time. Wait for a minute, then give some more 
until all is taken. At least one or two pauses 
should be made in order that a part of the dose 
may not enter the lungs and prove fatal to the 
sheep. The fingers of the left hand by which the 
lamb's head is held should be left free, and the 
under jaw should not be held tight up against the 
upper jaw, which would, of course, prevent the 
lamb from swallowing, and consequently the med- 
icine would run down into its lungs and kill the 
lamb instantly. An incorrect method of holding 
lambs when drenching has killed many of them. 
Some shepherds practice setting the sheep on its 
rump with its head held high, but in the author's 
experience this has not been found advisable. 
When the sheep's head is held too high it cannot 
swallow very well and the dose runs down its 
windpipe into its lungs. This method of holding 
the sheep should be followed not alone when sheep 
are drenched to kill parasites but in all cases 
where it is necessary for medicine to be given. Be 
very particular to keep the fingers of your left 
hand off from the under jaw while the medicine 
is being given, and all will be well. Shortly after 
dosing the lambs with gasoline or other remedies 
they -may again be turned out on grass eacli day. 



116 Sheep Management. 

SHEEP WITH GRUB IN THE HEAD. 

Another evil to be feared in sheep husbandry is 
grub in the head of sheep. Experienced sheepmen 
generally admit that sheep which are grazing in 
brush and woodland are in greater danger of being 
troubled with these grubs than sheep which are 
feeding on clear pastures. 

In the hot summer weather while the sheep is 
resting beside bushes and shady trees chewing its 
cud or perhaps sleeping, a big fly lights on its nose. 
Generally a little fluid, not at all harmful, is run- 
ning from the nostrils of the sheep. This fly settles 
down on the nostrils and at times will even crawl 
up into the sheep's nose in order to feed on this 
fluid. In the meantime it also deposits some eggs or 
perhaps young worms, which the sheep in breath- 
ing draws up into its head between the eyes where 
there are cavities in the nasal passages. The eggs 
hatch, or the worms develop into large-sized 
grubs, which look like those commonly found un- 
der rotten stumps or plowed sod ground. The 
only difference is that the grubs found in the head 
of sheep, when full grown, are not quite half the 
size of those seen in the field or under stumps. 
In some instances as many as eleven of such grubs 
of different sizes and ages have been found in a 
single sheep that had died with grub in the head. 



Prevention and Treatment of Parasites. 117 

When a sheep has grub in the head it lets its 
head hang down to the ground, grinds its teeth 
frequently, turns its head to one side, then to the 
other, and then back towards its shoulders, and 
often walks around in a circle. A green liquid may 
run out of its nose, and of course it has also lost 
its appetite. When sheep become infested with 
grub in the head it is a very fatal matter, as no re- 
liable cure for it has as yet been found. 

A few years ago the writer took a trip to Europe 
to study sheep husbandry on that continent. He 
there met some of the oldest shepherds, who had 
spent their whole lives in herding and caring for 
sheep and had therefore gained much practical 
experience. These shepherds claimed that some 
sheep could be saved by letting a little snuff to- 
bacco thoroughly mixed with linseed oil run into 
the sheep's nostrils. By holding the sheep's head 
high when the mixture was poured into the nostrils 
it would find its way to the place where the grubs 
were lodged. The grubs would be disturbed by 
this snuff and the sheep would begin to sneeze 
and thus force the grubs out of the head. This 
may be a good remedy, and those sheepmen who 
are troubled with this pest might give it a trial, 
but the author has had no occasion to test it as he 
has always succeeded in preventing grub in the 
head by the method which follows. 



118 



Sheep Management. 

PREVENTION. 



This disease in sheep can be avoided by doing a 
little extra work. If no other time is suitable for 
this purpose it can be done in the evening after 
supper when the other chores are completed, as the 




Plate 3D. Champion Cot sw old ram at the International, 1910, shown 
by F. W. Harding, Waukesha, Wis. 

days are longest in fly time, which is in summer. It 
is an old saying that where there is a will there is a 
way, and so it is here. A man who has a small 
flock can probably take the time, say every two 
or three weeks, to smear some pine tar on the noses 
of the sheep. Even if the sheep eat a little of it, 
it will not harm them, on the contrary, it is good 



Prevention and Treatment of Parasites. 119 

for them. The tar will keep the flies away from 
the sheeps' noses, and in fact away from any place 
where it is present, for flies despise pine tar. 

It is important to see to it that sheep have free 
access to salt at all times of the year, whether they 
are in the barn or on pasture. This salt, however, 
should be placed in a salt box and not thrown on 
the ground, as some careless flockowners do. In 
summer smear the bottom and sides of the salt 
trough with a heavy coat of pine tar, and then 
sprinkle the salt on top of it. In licking up the 
salt sheep cannot avoid getting some tar on their 
noses, and herein lies the whole secret of this 
method of preventing grubs. The flies will now 
no longer bother their noses. This is a simple but 
effective method of preventing grub in the head. 
Rock salt, of course, can not be used for this pur- 
pose, but common salt is now so cheap that it 
hardly pays to use the rock salt anyway. 

In Canada the writer has seen still another 
method practiced. A log is selected and holes 
bored into it with an auger, each hole being wide 
and deep enough so that the sheep can get its nose 
into it nearly up to the eyes. These holes are about 
three feet apart. They are smeared on the inside 
with a heavy coat of pine tar and the holes are 
filled up with salt. In this manner the sheep get 
even more tar on their noses than they will in 



120 Sheep Management. 

eating salt from the trough. Either of these meth- 
ods are good and simple ways to keep sheep free 
from grub in the head. 

BLOAT IN SHEEP. 

Sheep, as a rule, are very greedy. When turned 
on some new pasture, such as clover, alfalfa, or 
rape, they eat too fast and too much and conse- 
quently bloat. Any one of these forages will bloat 
sheep very quickly when the crop is too young, 
fresh, and juicy. The weather conditions also have 
something to do with this. Even if sheep have 
been grazing on clover or alfalfa fields without 
any symptoms of bloating for some time, all dan- 
ger is not yet over. Some night a heavy rain or 
thunderstorm may sweep over the country, and 
the next day be very warm and sultry, indicating 
more rain to follow. On such a day as this, no 
matter how safe your sheep have been on this 
same field before, something is very likely to hap- 
pen. There is not so much danger in the forenoon 
as in the afternoon, especially late in the afternoon 
towards sunset and evening. The moisture in the 
ground from a previous rain seems to have an 
effect on the clover, and the latter then seems to 
form more gas when in the sheep's stomach, re- 
sulting in bloat. Many shepherds have been in 
great anxiety when they came to their flock and 



Prevention and Treatment of Parasites. 121 

found five or six sheep lying dead before them, 
bloated as big as barrels, and others suffering 
from bloat. 

Sheep that have eaten large quantities of clover, 
rape, or alfalfa and have become bloated, are in 
terrible distress. The gas rising from fermenta- 
tion causes the first stomach to distend to its ut- 
most capacity. This stomach on account of its 
abnormal size presses upon the lungs, and conse- 
quently interferes with the respiration, sometimes 
stopping it entirely, in which case death follows, 
or the stomach may even burst from the pressure. 

REMEDY FOR BLOAT. 

Trocars and knives have been used in tapping 
the bloated sheep to let the gas escape from the 
stomach. The writer must confess that he never 
had any success with either of the two, perhaps 
due to his own fault in operation. But he takes 
pride in giving to his readers a remedy, still un- 
known to many and not yet published elsewhere. 
When the sheep that is bloated is not found alto- 
gether too late, and the overloaded stomach has not 
been pressing too heavily upon the lungs or has not 
burst, there is hope of saving it. Quickly find a 
pail, run to the first cow you see that is giving milk, 
draw out from a pint to a quart of it, come back 
to the sheep as quickly as possible, and give the 



Prevention and Treatment of Parasites. 123 

warm milk to the sheep by means of the drench- 
ing bottle. If it does not stop groaning and stretch- 
ing in a short time give it another half pint of 
milk. Soon after this yon will see the animal draw 
in its bnlged-ont sides and begin to look smaller, 
and after a little it will have regained its natural 
form. The writer has saved many bloated sheep 
in this way. Remember that the milk must be 
warm from the cow's udder. Cold milk does not 
absorb the gas as the warm milk does. Give the 
milk as warm as possible, and be careful not to 
choke the sheep when dosing it in this bloated 
condition. 

SOME COMMON MEDICINES HELPFUL TO THE FLOCK- 
MASTER. 

It is generally conceded that if a sheep once gets 
sick not much can be done to save it. The writer, 
however, is not exactly of this opinion. True 
enough, if a sheep has pneumonia and its lungs are 
badly affected death is generally the result. There 
are other diseases which baffle even the knowl- 
edge and control of veterinarians. In many in- 
stances, however, the shepherd can himself treat 
the sick sheep in lighter cases. For instance, if 
a sheep suffers from constipation this trouble can 
be removed by giving the sheep one or perhaps 
two doses of epsom salts. The dose for an older 



124 Sheep Management. 

sheep is from four to five ounces and for a lamb 
somewhat less. This salt is dissolved in warm 
water and given in a drench. If the bowels do 
not move in from five to six hours a second dose 
may be given, adding a little castor oil to it. In 
some bad cases an injection of warm water with 
a little soap in it is helpful in getting the bowels 
to move. A dose of epsom salts is also beneficial 
for a sheep that has contracted a bad cold. 

Little lambs sometimes become constipated from 
their mother's milk, in which cases one-half to one 
teaspoonful of castor oil given the youngster once 
or twice will remedy the trouble. 

COLIC, OR "STRETCHES." 

This trouble is caused by the sheep eating frozen 
roots, corn silage that contains a great amount of 
acid or which has been frozen a little, or any 
other food that chills the stomach of the sheep. 
The symptoms of colic or so-called stretches in 
sheep are: stretching the body much longer than 
it really is; turning over on one side, then on the 
other; lying down for a few minutes, and then get- 
ting up again; stretching the body out again so 
that the sheep appears to be sway-backed. 

A tablespoonful of sweet spirits of nitre given 
in a little water will relieve the sheep of its pains. 
Sometimes a second dose has to be given if the 
sheep is not relieved of its distress by the first dose. 



Prevention and Treatment of Parasites. 125 

WETHERS WITH SORE SHEATH. 

Wethers often become sore at the end of their 
sheath and penis. Such cases should be treated 
by injections of permanganate of potash solution 
with a small syringe, repeating a number of times 
and using one-half teaspoonful of permanganate 
of potash to a quart of warm water. After each 
injection a little iodoform should be applied to the 
sore on the end of the sheath. 

MAGGOTS IN MIDSUMMER AND FLY TIME. 

Another pest that needs the shepherd's close at- 
tention during the hot weather and fly time is the 
maggot. These maggots have caused great loss to 
the flockowner and a most terrible death to the 
poor, innocent sheep that are infested. It is ter- 
rible to think of a harmless sheep being eaten alive 
by hundreds of thousands of these maggots, which 
steadily gnaw and feed on its body until finally the 
animal succumbs. Yet this unhappy lot has befallen 
many sheep. You may ask whether it is possible 
for a person to be so cruel as to let his sheep be 
eaten alive. It is true enough, but why and how 
is this done? Simply because some people have 
not yet learned what particular precautions must 
be taken at certain times of the season in order to 
prevent this evil, or they are altogether too care- 
less in managing their flocks. For instance a man 



Prevention and Treatment of Parasites. 127 

starts in sheep husbandry, is in earnest about it, 
and wants to do the best he can. The first summer 
he keeps sheep may be a very favorable one and 
everything may run smoothly throughout the sea- 
son. The next year the season may be much dif- 
ferent, but he fears nothing because he had no 
trouble whatever the first year. Some day he will 
find a stumbling block in his way, which he has 
not seen or heard of up to this time. He may find 
one or two of his sheep lying dead in the pasture. 
He makes an examination, and behold, what meets 
his eye? Thousands and thousands of little white 
maggots are having a feast on the dead sheep. He 
now begins to wonder what could have been the 
trouble with his sheep. It is a puzzle to him 
whether these maggots got on to the sheep after it 
had died, or whether they got on while it was still 
alive and then killed it. Only a few years ago a 
farmer came to this Station and asked for infor- 
mation concerning the cause of the death of thir- 
teen head of sheep, which he thought were eaten 
up by worms. The writer asked the question : 
"Where were the worms that killed your sheep, 
inside the sheep's body or on the outside?" The 
farmer replied that many little white worms, about 
half an inch long, were seen on the outside of the 
sheep. Evidently maggots were at work on his 
flock and he did not know it, as he stated that he 
had never heard of maggots killing sheep. 



128 Sheep Management. 

CAUSE OF MAGGOTS. 

Maggots on sheep are caused by blow-flies. Fe- 
male sheep are more apt to have maggots than 
male sheep, although males also occasionally be- 
come infested. Sheep sometimes get filthy on their 
bodies, especially at the rear, caused either by 
their scouring, or in the case of females by the 
spattering of the urine on the wool. The so-called 
blow-fly comes along, feeds on this filth, and mean- 
while lays eggs there. These eggs hatch, forming 
tiny worm-like larvae, which grow fast, and bur- 
row into the flesh of the sheep. In a couple of 
days a large patch of full grown maggots are pres- 
ent on the sheep. In the course of three or four 
days they are there by the thousands. On account 
of the rapid increase in number these maggots 
move forward and spread over the body of the 
sheep, and after six or seven days the sheep dies 
a lingering death. 

PREVENTION. 

In hot weather and fly time the conscientious 
shepherd makes it a point to inspect his flock in 
the pasture at least once a day. If he should notice 
any filthy portions of wool on any member in the 
flock he will quickly get a pair of shears and cut 
them off. He also will get a solution of some coal 
tar sheep dip, mixed in the proportions of one 



Prevention and Treatment of Parasites. 129 

part of dip to seventy-five parts of water, and 
cleanse the filthy portions thoroughly. It may be 
added here that if no dip is left over after sheep 
dipping time is past some more ought to be se- 
cured for use during the summer. The odor left 
on the sheep by this solution will keep the flies 
away for quite a long period. When proper at- 
tention is given the sheep, maggots will not find 
their way onto any members of the flock. 

TREATMENT OF MAGGOTS. 

When sheep are already infested with maggots 
the same treatment should be used as is used to 
prevent maggots. The wool must be cut away as 
close to the skin as possible and as far as these 
miserable pests are lodged. The infested por- 
tion should then be washed with a solution of dip 
mixed with one part of dip to fifty parts of water. 
As the maggots are unable to withstand the odor 
of the dip they will then fall to the ground. Some- 
times they will already have made large holes in 
the body of the sheep, in which case care must be 
taken to cleanse these thoroughly and remove all 
maggots. It is a good plan to smear some pine tar 
in these holes after all the maggots have been 
cleaned out. 

Many sheepmen use turpentine to kill maggots. 
The writer, however, does not favor its use for 

9 



130 Sheep Management. 

the reason that it is too strong and sharp and bites 
the skin of the sheep, making it very raw and 
causing the animal severe pain. A solution of 
Zenoleum or Creso dip are mild on the skin, are 
disinfectants, and at the same time have a healing 
effect. 



CHAPTER VII. 

SUMMER FEEDING AND CARE. 

After the winter and early spring work is all 
done, the flock is put out on pasture to enjoy the 
young, juicy grass. The shepherd should be care- 
ful to provide pure, fresh water, salt, and shade 
for the sheep on pasture, in order that the flock 
may thrive properly. At this time he is relieved 
more or less from the restless hours and worry of 
lambing, shearing, and feet trimming, and is en- 
joying a little rest. He must now, however, begin 
to think about work that may be done in the field 
to provide some kind of forage to help him out 
with his flock at the time when pastures are gen- 
erally short and scanty on account of the dry 
weather of midsummer. He must also bear in 
mind that when the time comes to wean lambs he 
should have a fresh piece of pasture for them away 
from the older sheep. In some cases the lambs 
may be grazed on a field from which the first crop 
of hay has been taken. Even if such a pasture is 
available a piece of rape should be sown in the 
spring early enough to be ripe July 25 to August 
10, the usual time for weaning lambs, for rape is 
an excellent fodder for lambs. Indeed rape has 




SO 

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C fcfi 
+- o 

fl ffl 



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ft 

£ 

cs 
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Summer Feeding and Care. 133 

an unusual value for feeding all classes of sheep, 
and a great amount of feed can be obtained from 
an acre. It may be sown broadcast, or it may be 
drilled in. If time permits, it is far better to sow 
it in rows thirty inches apart, as much more feed 
can then be grown on an acre and the crop can 
also be cultivated, thus holding the weeds in check. 
Sheep will then waste but little of the rape when 
turned into it, as they will walk between the rows 
and eat on both sides. 

Roots, such as rutabagas and turnips, should also 
be sown for late fall and winter feeding. Good 
roots are just as well liked by sheep in the win- 
ter time as cake and pie are liked by man. They 
should be kept in a well-ventilated cellar where 
they will not freeze or rot. Cabbage is an excel- 
lent feed for all classes of sheep, but is usually too 
expensive to feed extensively. However, where 
large fields of cabbage are grown for the market, 
sheep can well be fed the leaves and unsalable 
heads which are left after the crop is harvested. 

SUGAR BEETS AND MANGELS A DANGEROUS FEED FOR 
RAMS AND WETHERS. 

For many years sheep breeders in this country 
as well as in England have been aware of the fact 
that sugar beets and mangels are dangerous for 
ram and wether feeding. Trials covering five years 



134 Sheep Management. 

at the Iowa Experiment Station have shown this 
to be true. The writer in his earlier years, not 
having had as much experience as he should have 
had, learned costly lessons by feeding these roots 
to rams and wethers and consequently losing a 
number of good, high-priced animals. Mangels 
and sugar beets contain some substances which af- 
fect the kidneys and form gravel stones in the kid- 
neys and bladder, stopping up the passage of the 
urinary canal. When this passage is blocked, 
rams and wethers suffer terribly and die within 
forty-eight hours, at most, on account of the burst- 
ing of the bladder. 

While these roots have proven so fatal to rams 
and wethers the writer has fed mangels and sugar 
beets extensively during many seasons to breed- 
ing ewes and has never experienced any trouble 
therefrom. This is probably due to the fact that 
in rams and wethers the urinary canal is no more 
than about one-sixteenth inch in diameter, and the 
small stones forming in the bladder cannot pass 
through the canal. The ewes, however, have a 
much larger urinary canal, permitting the escape 
of the stones. 

FLUSHING THE EWES. 

A breeding ewe, if expected to uphold her vital- 
ity and vigor, needs a vacation once a year. She 
may have been a good mother, a heavy milker, and 



Summer Feeding and Care. 135 

have raised one, two, or perhaps even three lambs. 
Although she has had good care and pasture she 
will naturally be run down somewhat in condition, 
because the greatest portion of the feed she has 
consumed has been utilized for the production of 
milk. She therefore needs a rest before she is bred 
again, and the time for her vacation will be be- 
tween the weaning and breeding periods. During 
this time the breeding ewe ought to be what is 
commonly termed "flushed." Flushing means 
bringing the ewe from a thin condition into a good, 
strong, vigorous condition in a short time. When 
this is done the breeding ewe will be in the proper 
condition to assume her duty again when the 
breeding time arrives. 

Flushing is highly recommended, for it has sev- 
eral advantages. How can a ewe which has been 
suckling her lamb all summer be brought into 
proper shape to take up her new burden at breed- 
ing time unless her lamb is weaned and she is 
flushed before she is bred? If bred in a thin, run- 
down condition she must resume work again im- 
mediately and will probably be brought into win- 
ter quarters thin and weak. In such condition she 
will be subject to many more diseases. She will 
be so delicate that any little cold which may at- 
tack her in this condition is liable to cause her 
death, while another ewe in good condition will 
resist the attack. 



136 Sheep Management. 

Another benefit that may be of interest, which is 
derived from the practice of flushing ewes, is the 
fact that to a certain extent the flockmaster fol- 
lowing this practice has control over the percent- 
age of lambs dropped by his ewes the following 
lambing time. It has been found that whenever 
ewes and rams are mated that are both in a strong, 
vigorous condition and full of vim more twins and 
triplets may be expected. These results can, how- 
ever, only be obtained when both sire and dam are 
in good condition. If the ram is in good condition 
and the ewe is thin, or if the reverse is the case, 
then these results cannot be accomplished. Both 
ram and ewe must be vigorous and strong. 

Another point in favor of having the ewes 
flushed before breeding is the fact that when prop- 
erly flushed the flock of ewes will all breed within 
a shorter time, thus shortening up the lambing 
period. This will save the shepherd much loss of 
sleep. 

The writer does not know of any feed that will 
flush ewes better and more cheaply than rape. 
This plant, when fully matured, will not lead to 
bloat in sheep. When the lower leaves on the stem 
begin to turn yellow, as well as the tips of the 
upper leaves, the rape is ripe and matured, and it 
may now be fed with safety. The rape seems to 
stimulate the inner organs of the sheep, making 



Summer Feeding and Care. 137 

the ewes vigorous and strong and causing them to 
regain flesh. If, however, no rape has been grown 
for this purpose the next best feed is grain, which 
is of course more expensive. Oats have proved 
satisfactory, and cabbage may also be recom- 
mended. 

CULLING THE EWE FLOCK. 

Before breeding is to begin in the fall, the flock 
ought to be culled. All ewes that have not proved 
to be good producers and do not furnish enough 
milk to raise at least one good lamb should be the 
first to be culled out. All other ewes that have 
broken mouths, or whose udders or teats have ac- 
cidentally become spoiled, should be sold to the 
butcher while still in a fleshy condition. At this 
time the shepherd must judge as to which ewes 
ought to be disposed of and which ought to be re- 
tained. He knows every individual and knows 
their records of production perhaps better than 
the owner of the flock himself, who may make it a 
point to inspect the flock but once in a while. Such 
men make mistakes very easily as they generally 
select the best looking ewes to be retained and 
dispose of the thin looking ones, not knowing that 
the fat ones did not give much milk, and conse- 
quently are in fine trim at this time. Let the shep- 
herd, who knows each ewe and knows what she 



138 



Sheep Management. 



has done, do the culling, rather than someone else 
who is not so familiar with the flock. 



CULLING THE LAMB FLOCK. 

Later in the fall the lamb flock should also be 
culled. For the further improvement of the flock 
all the best ewe lambs should be reserved each 




Plate 43. A group of yearling wethers fitted at the University of 
Wisconsin for classroom demonstration, 1898. 

year, to take the place of the ewes that are culled 
out and sold. We often hear of men who sell 
their best ewe lambs and keep the inferior ones, 
simply because the butcher pays a cent or so more 
per pound for those of the more desirable class. 
This is poor policy, and the owner is the loser in 
the end. All other spare lambs may be sold when 
the market is good and the prices high. 



Summer Feeding and Care. 139 

CARE AT BREEDING TIME. 

The proper time to breed in the fall depends 
entirely upon the judgment of the flockowner. If 
he has warm quarters for early-born lambs, ewes 
may be bred early; if such quarters cannot be pro- 
vided, it is better not to have the lambs come so 
soon. Another factor which determines the time 
of breeding is whether lambs are to be sold for 
early or for late market. The breeder must suit 
himself, and should act according to existing con- 
ditions. 

Before the ram is allowed to come to the ewes 
they should be nicely tagged. This means clipping 
all surplus wool off from the end of the tail, which 
materially aids the ram in mating with the ewes 
and saves his vitality. It also insures less barren 
ewes in the flock. The general appearance of a 
flock of ewes is also greatly improved if they are 
properly tagged. 

NECESSITY OF SALT. 

It has been stated elsewhere that sheep should 
have access to salt at all times of the year, for salt 
is an absolute necessity for them and when they 
are deprived of it great loss sometimes results. 
Salt furnishes chlorine for the digestive juices of 
the stomach and is also required for the proper 
functioning of many of the body organs. If salt 



140 Sheep Management. 

is not supplied the digestion of the sheep will be 
impaired and serious consequences will follow. 
Sheep crave salt, and when it is given to them only 
once in a while they will usually eat too much at 
one time. They will then drink excessive amounts 
of water, which will upset the digestive organs 
and often cause severe scouring. If salt is sup- 
plied in abundance at all times, at no time will 
the sheep consume an excessive amount. There- 
fore, if all is to go well in the flock, one must not 
fail to provide salt every day of the year. 

KEEP DOWN BURDOCKS AND SANDBURS. 

Burdocks and sandburs are bitter enemies to the 
watchful flockm aster. When he notices that some 
of the sheep have collected any of these mean burs, 
he becomes alarmed, knowing that the appear- 
ance of his flock is much injured. But this is not 
all. He also realizes that the value of the wool is 
lessened when it comes to selling it, since buyers 
greatly object to wool in such a condition. Again, 
suppose the shepherd wants to show some of his 
sheep at the county fair. Can he do it when their 
fleeces are matted together with these burs? He 
may show them but they will not win any prize, 
as the fleeces of prize winners must be in good, 
clean condition. The judge will not injure his 
hands on such sheep by handling them, instead he 



Summer Feeding and Care. 141 

will pass them by. The writer has seen such sheep 
at county fairs, but he did not prick his fingers by 
handling them. If a shepherd wants to trim his 
sheep a little, how can he do it if these burs are 
present in the fleece? It may be done by spending 
a great deal of time picking them out, but this is 
a very slow and unpleasant job, and after much 
picking the shepherd cannot even then get the 
fleece into proper shape, to say nothing about 
spoiling his sheep shears. 

When the first sheep is noticed carrying some of 
these pests a thorough search should be made over 
the field in which the sheep are pasturing, and 
wherever these miserable weeds are found they 
should be cut down and burned, and should then 
be fought to a finish until they are all destroyed. 
The writer has never believed in Sunday work, ex- 
cept performing the necessary chores, as the day 
belongs to God and in the writer's opinion no man 
has ever gained much by doing work on Sunday 
that should be done on Saturday or Monday. How- 
ever, if on walking through the sheep pasture on 
Sunday he should see a clump of burdocks, he 
would immediately take out his jack-knife and 
destroy them, because he despises them so much. 
Of course, if there were many of them he would 
not meddle with them on Sunday, but would go 
after them on Monday morning before breakfast. 



142 



Sheep Management. 



DANGERS OF DEAD FURROWS. 

The writer wishes to call the attention of the 
beginner in the sheep business to the fact that when 
the sheep are turned out on pasture it is a wise 




Plate 44. First prize pure-bred Shropshire wether lamb at the In- 
ternational, 1910, shown by the University of Wisconsin. 

plan to look over the land to see if there are any 
traps for them, that is, whether there are any shal- 
low depressions, such as dead furrows, in the 
field where the flock pastures. In such depres- 
sions sheep like to lie down, especially over night. 



Summer Feeding and Care. 143 

These little hollows are exceedingly dangerous, 
especially if they are not much wider than the 
sheep, because sheep when lying down will some- 
times roll over on their backs and on account of 
the small space will find it impossible to turn back 
again. The ground on both sides is higher, thus 
affording the sheep no chance of getting up again, 
and after lying in this position for two or three 
hours it will die. Dead furrows in fields are per- 
haps the most dangerous places for sheep to be 
trapped this way. 

It is discouraging to find a plump, broad-backed 
ewe or lamb lying dead in one of these ditches or 
dead furrows, with its four legs standing straight 
up in the air. One will never find a thin, narrow- 
backed sheep lying on its back, but in every in- 
stance it is one of the very best in the flock. It is 
taken for granted that older flockm asters need not 
be warned to be cautious in this respect, for they 
have probably long ago learned through experi- 
ence the danger of such dead furrows and ditches. 
It is an old saying that experience is the best 
teacher. True enough, but the lesson learned 
through self-experience is very often the most ex- 
pensive one. How can the beginner with sheep be 
expected to know all about small details if he 
has not been warned by some one who has gone 
through the mill and has paid for his grinding? 



144 Sheep Management. 

If men who have had long years of experience and 
who take all the necessary precautions, sometimes 
stumble, how many more mistakes must the be- 
ginner make. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

FEEDING SHEEP FOR MARKET. 

Feeding sheep for market has proved very prof- 
itable to the men who have followed it extensively 
for a number of years. Some men, however, when 
newly starting in the business, struck one or two 
seasons that were not profitable, and consequently 
gave up this work in disgust, declaring it a failure. 
Many men, when they see others making money 
in any line of business, will jump into the same 
work, with the wrong idea that they are as well 
qualified for the undertaking and are just as 
capable of solving the problems as those who have 
learned the business through years of experience. 
Those who know the ups and downs through prac- 
tice have reached the point where they can obtain 
a handsome profit almost any season by sheep 
feeding. Some years there is a large margin, and 
others a smaller one, but, on the average, men 
feeding sheep for market have made considerable 
money, and some have acquired great wealth from 
this source. However, the profit that can be de- 
rived from the undertaking depends largely upon 
the purchase price of the sheep, the prices of feed, 

and last but not least, the kind of market. If feed- 

10 



146 Sheep Management. 

ers are very high-priced in the fall one cannot ex- 
pect a large margin over the purchase price, feed, 
and labor, unless high prices for finished mutton 
are realized. 

In the Eastern and Middle States not as many 
sheep and lambs are annually fed as in the West- 
ern States. Michigan perhaps leads in the East, 
while Colorado is foremost in the West. However, 
smaller numbers of them are fed for market in 
nearly every state. Since the writer cannot dis- 
cuss the large feeding operations in the West from 
personal experience, he will confine his discussion 
of the subject to the home industry where sheep 
are fed for market on a smaller scale. In many 
sections of the country a considerable number of 
men feed one or two carloads each winter. Oth- 
ers may just be starting in, and it is to these that 
the writer wishes to speak in particular. 

AGE OF SHEEP TO BE FED. 

It is generally admitted among feeders that 
lambs bring more profit when put in the feed lot 
than older sheep, for the simple reason that it re- 
quires less pounds of feed to produce a pound of 
gain in lambs than in yearlings or still older sheep. 
The lamb in the feed lot is not only putting on 
flesh, but is at the same time growing in size, while 
the older sheep though spreading and developing 



Feeding Sheep for Market. 147 

more in width of body and also putting on flesh, 
is actually not growing in size any more after it 
reaches the age of two years. Wherever practi- 
cable, it will pay the feeder to secure lambs for 
feeding, unless, of course, he can get yearlings or 
two-year-olds at a very low cost, which will enable 
him to realize a good profit from his investment. 
Fat lambs are in greater demand on the market 
than older sheep, and are therefore generally 
higher in price. 

SELECTION OF FEEDERS. 

In selecting feeders one ought to be very care- 
ful to get sound, healthy sheep and not buy a lot 
that is probably infested with internal parasites, 
as stomach or tape worms, or with scab or foot rot. 
If the feeder is not watchful he will cut his profit 
down right at the beginning by losing some of the 
sheep which were unsound when bought. He 
should therefore examine their eyes and skin, as 
has been explained in a previous chapter of this 
work, in order to make sure that they do not have 
parasites. Many feeders prefer range sheep to 
natives, since range sheep are generally free from 
internal parasites. If they are only infested with 
ticks or lice they may easily be freed from these 
pests by dipping them, but it will be a more diffi- 
cult task to cure them of skin diseases or internal 



148 Sheep Management. 

parasites. It is also unprofitable to meddle with 
sheep that have old, broken mouths and are there- 
fore unable to chew their feed properly and hence 
must have all the grain ground for them. It has 
further been learned that sheep or lambs that are 
in pretty fair condition when they are placed in 
the feed lot make better gains than those that are 
in too thin a condition at the time. In a trial at 
the Wisconsin Station, lambs accustomed to grain 
from the time of birth were able to make a weekly 
gain of 3.8 pounds per head for a period of twelve 
weeks feeding. Other lambs, not receiving any 
grain until they were put in the feed lot in the 
fall, with the most judicious care and feeding only 
gained 2.5 pounds per head per week for the same 
length of time. The first lot made a net profit of 
.^1.40 per head, while the others made only $.80 
per head. 

In all cases a class of sheep should be obtained 
that have good, wide body frames, that are broad 
and low-down to the ground, and that have broad 
heads. Pay no attention to the long-legged, nar- 
row-bodied, long-necked, and slim-faced class, as 
they require more feed to produce a pound of gain 
in weight than the right class will, and are there- 
fore less profitable to feed. Of course, it is well 
understood that the feeder cannot always get ex- 
actly what he is striving to secure, but he should 



Feeding Sheep for Market. 149 

not be satisfied to obtain a class that will not give 
him the largest net returns from the feeding opera- 
tion. 

When purchased by a carload or more, some of 
the sheep or lambs will be larger than the others. 
The larger ones generally take advantage of the 
smaller ones at the feed trough and push them 
back, and in this way get more than their share 
of the feed. To give them all an equal chance a 
good plan is to group them in two or more lots, 
each size by itself. They usually do much better 
in smaller lots than when too many are bunched 
together. 

THE PRINCIPLES OF FEEDING. 

Some feeders do not obtain as good results as 
others, simply because they have not yet learned 
the few underlying principles which, when care- 
fully observed, lead to success. 

1. Gentleness and patience. — A sheep is fright- 
ened very easily. Therefore, the feeder in charge 
must not be one of the coarse, rough men who will 
make his way into the feed lot by kicking and 
pounding the sheep that get in his way. Gentle 
treatment counts for a great deal in this line of 
work, since sheep make more and cheaper gains 
when treated kindly. Many a time the writer has 
had his cap or hat pulled off from his head when 



150 Sheep Management. 

stooping down to clean out feed troughs, but 
nevertheless the lambs were not abused for so 
doing. On the contrary the feeder rather enjoys 
this playfulness, because he feels that the lambs 
have full confidence in him and fear no harm. 

The good feeder should also be patient. It often 
happens that an inquisitive lamb will stand with 
its front feet in the trough and perhaps soil it some- 
what, just after it has been cleaned out nicely be- 
fore feeding. The patient feeder in this case will 
not run after the lamb and try to make it under- 
stand that this act was wrong. He will reclean 
the trough and say nothing. Sheep will always 
well repay the kind treatment that is shown them. 
The man who rushes into the feed lot without 
warning the sheep of his approach by speaking to 
them, so that they will not become frightened and 
run for doors and windows to get away from him 
as far as possible, is and will always be a poor 
feeder until he begins to change his ways. Any 
man who does not care for sheep should never be 
allowed to feed them, as he will certainly not make 
good. 

2. Cleanliness. — At all times it is necessary to 
practice cleanliness. Sheep do not require as much 
feed as other classes of live stock, but this com- 
paratively small amount must by all means be 
clean, for sheep are more particular as to what 



Feeding Sheep for Market. 151 

they eat than most farm animals. It will never do 
to try to make them eat grain that has been 
scratched over by the chickens many times and is 
soiled. Nor can they be forced to eat some of the 
commercial feeds, or hay that has a bad odor. 
The feed troughs must, furthermore, be thoroughly 
cleaned out before each meal and must always be 
kept in a sweet condition. Have you ever noticed 
that wherever there are a few droppings of a sheep 
in the feed trough sheep will eat all the clean grain 
around this place, but will not touch the soiled 
grain that is on or near it? It will certainly pay 
any feeder to practice cleanliness, as the sheep 
itself is a clean animal. 

3. Punctuality. — By punctuality we mean in this 
case that a certain time be scheduled for feeding 
each day, and for each meal in particular. This 
time should be fixed definitely right at the start. 
Brother feeder, have you ever stopped to realize 
the importance of punctuality in sheep feeding? 
Have you ever considered how much better and 
cheaper gains can be made in feeding when the 
time set for each meal is strictly adhered to? 

Visit a good feeder, get into deep conversation 
with him on some important subject, and try to 
make him forget the time for feeding his sheep. 
You will notice him pulling out his watch every 
little while to see whether the time for feeding has 







A 'A 

£ 5 



g< S 
5 s 



h 



Feeding Sheep for Market. 153 

come, and when the hour has arrived he will un- 
doubtedly ask to be excused so that he may do his 
feeding. He is aware of the fact that his sheep 
are accustomed to getting their meals at a certain 
fixed time, and that when the feeder fails to be on 
hand the sheep begin to bleat and worry and won- 
der what could have happened to their feeder. 
The longer the delay after the regular feeding 
hour, the more flesh they worry off, instead of 
putting on. Remember that your profit will de- 
pend a good deal on the value and importance 
you place upon punctuality in feeding. 

Another point of great value is that the feeding 
should be done as quickly as possible. Grain, the 
feed which is eaten up the most rapidly, is gener- 
ally fed first. Roughage is fed last of all, in order 
to give the sheep ample time to pick it over and 
allow the feeder to get through so that he can per- 
form other urgent work. It would certainly not 
be very wise to give them their grain ration, which 
is eaten up in a short time, and in the meantime 
go away and forget all about giving them their next 
ration. Such action would be absolutely unprofit- 
able. Feed them their grain, if so planned, and 
when this is cleaned up, the next ration, and so on 
until all is given them that is to be fed at one meaL 
After they have eaten their full ration allow them 
to lie down and rest undisturbed until the next 



154 Sheep Management. 

meal time. This will give them plenty of time to 
chew their cud and properly digest their meal. It 
has been found at the Wisconsin Station that feed- 
ing fattening lambs only twice a day is sufficient, 
and is even more conducive to rapid growth than 
feeding three times daily. As sheep are mostly 
fattened in the winter time when the days are short 
it is well to begin feeding about six o'clock A. M. 
and again at four o'clock P. M., making it entirely 
unnecessary to feed them at noon. 

4. Judgment. — The person who does the sheep 
feeding should be one who likes sheep. There is 
no sense whatever in trying to have a man feed 
sheep who dislikes them or who possesses no judg- 
ment. The feeder's ability and judgment is shown 
in every case of success or failure. The careful 
feeder watches all the members in the lot of sheep 
closely, studies their appetites, and feeds them just 
enough so as to prevent overfeeding at any one 
meal. He begins lightly and gradually increases 
their feed, for if they are overfed at one meal they 
will often scour and may then lose as much in live 
weight in three days as can be restored in the fol- 
lowing two weeks. Scouring will also make the 
wool filthy, thus greatly injuring the appearance 
of the sheep. 

The same person should always do the feeding. 
If by accident an unfamiliar person who is not ac- 



Feeding Sheep for Market. 155 

quainted with the capacity of the sheep in his 
charge and the proper allowance to be given them 
is allowed to do the feeding at any time he is apt 
to upset the whole lot. One feeder also may be 
able to feed economically, while another may be 
wasteful. For example, sheep make their best 
gains in fairly cold weather when the temperature 
is nearly down to zero. If they are then on full 
feed they may be pushed along steadily. But if 
now all at once warm weather sets in the well- 
posted feeder will cut down on the grain ration, 
because he knows that sheep, especially lambs, 
cannot stand as much grain in warm weather as 
in cold weather. On the other hand, the feeder 
who is ignorant of this fact will feed the same 
amount with the result that he gets them off feed, 
and it is a difficult matter to have them regain 
their appetite when once it is lost. Not much can 
be accomplished when the same person does not 
do the feeding each day, as the one is liable to 
spoil what the other has accomplished. In all cases 
feeding grain must be begun lightly in order to 
avoid overfilling and scouring. 

LITTLE EXERCISE FOR FATTENING SHEEP. 

It has already been stated that too much exer- 
cise cannot be given to pregnant ewes. Sheep 
when being fattened for market do not, however, 



156 



Sheep Management. 



need much exercise. They may be given a little 
exercise now and then, but in general they gain 
faster if not allowed to run about at all, but if 
kept closely confined to their quarters. 




Plate 46. Second prize pure-bred Shropshire yearling wether at 
the International, 1907, bred by Arthur Broughton, Albany, Wis., and 
fitted and shown by the University of Wisconsin. 



Feeding Sheep for Market. 157 

HAND-FEEDING OR SELF-FEEDERS. 

Where a large number of sheep or lambs arc fed 
at any one place and good feeders of sheep are 
scarce it is perhaps feasible to employ self-feeders, 
for by the use of self-feeders a great deal of hand 
labor is saved. Where smaller lots are being fed, 
however, hand-feeding can be much more highly 
recommended, since sheep are greedy, and when 
they have free access to the grain they often eat 
too much of it. In many instances a large number 
of lambs have been lost on account of overloaded 
stomachs caused by eating too much grain. 

The writer at one time visited a large feeding 
plant and counted as many as eleven dead lambs 
one morning. When the man in charge was ques- 
tioned as to the cause of death, his reply was that 
the self-feeders had killed them by allowing them 
to eat too much grain. The writer was informed 
that out of the two thousand lambs in the feed lot 
some were lost every day through the use of self- 
feeders. The danger of eating too much grain is 
prevented when hand-feeding is practiced Where 1 
large numbers are fed, and labor is high, however, 
the large operator cannot be blamed for using self- 
feeders. 

SHELTER. 

Whenever possible, shelter should be provided 
for the fattening sheep. Yet at many western feed- 



158 Sheep Management. 

ing yards no shelter whatever is given the sheep. 
But when sheep are not sheltered their fleeces at 
times become soaking wet from rains or snows, 
and the result is lung trouble and pneumonia. 
They do not, however, need a warm or very costly 
place. All that is necessary is a simple roof over 
them to keep them dry. Do not allow feeding 
sheep or any others to wade or sleep in a yard 
where the mud is perhaps knee deep. Any kind 
of sheep like to have it dry underneath them, and 
comfortable dry quarters help them materially to 
put on flesh. 

GRAIN FOR FATTENING. 

Many large feeding operators have used wheat 
screenings chiefly as the grain ration. The writer 
is unable to say anything relative to the feeding 
value of wheat screenings, as they have never been 
used at this Station for the reason that they con- 
tain large amounts of weed seeds, which will get 
into the manure in spite of the greatest care and 
be brought into the fields, there causing havoc. The 
best and cheapest returns in different trials con- 
ducted at this Station have been obtained by feed- 
ing shelled corn, provided corn is available at a 
normal price. Dried beet pulp also has given very 
satisfactory results, and stands almost equal to 
corn in feeding value for sheep, besides being 
much cheaper. Oats, when used as the sole grain, 



Feeding Sheep for Market. 159 

have never given much profit in fattening sheep 
or lambs. In every instance the cost price of the 
different grains must be considered as well as their 
actual feeding value. 

As already stated, nice corn stands about first in 
rank in fattening sheep. Sheep will soon get tired 
of pure corn feeding, however, and the best feed- 
ers do not therefore find it an easy matter to feed 
it alone for any great length of time, and have the 
sheep progress as they should. For this reason it 
is advisable to mix a little oats and bran with the 
corn, in order to have a more balanced ration. 
Where the grain for fattening sheep is grown on 
the farm no better ration can be recommended 
than a mixture of two parts of shelled corn, one 
part of oats, and one part of bran. Toward the 
last three or four weeks before marketing, a little 
oilmeal may be added to finish them off. Barley 
is likewise of great value for this purpose. 

Throughout the Western range district, where 
corn is not raised in large quantities, barley is ex- 
tensively used for fattening sheep and lambs. 
Trials conducted at the Montana and South Dakota 
Experiment Stations show that when fed as the 
only grain allowance to fattening range lambs 
whole barley was only slightly less valuable than 
corn. 



160 Sheep Management. 

Wheat should not be fed to fattening sheep ex- 
cept when off grade or extremely low in price, as 
it tends to produce growth rather than fat. Trials 
at the South Dakota Station show that durum or 
macaroni wheat has about the same value as bread 
wheat. 

Like wheat, oats tend to produce growth, and 
therefore it is not best to use them as the sole grain 
for fattening. As already stated a little oats will 
help to balance up corn or barley. 

Owing to the greatly increased production of 
emmer, or speltz, in the Western States, this grain 
has gained some importance as a feed for fatten- 
ing sheep and lambs. Trials at the South Dakota 
Station showed that with prairie or brome hay 
emmer was much less valuable than corn. In a 
trial at the Colorado Station, however, emmer 
made unusually economical gains when fed with 
good alfalfa hay. 

Feeds which are rich in crude protein, such as 
linseed meal, cotton-seed meal, field peas, and soy- 
beans, may sometimes be profitably mixed with 
corn or other grains for fattening lambs or sheep. 
Care must be used in feeding these heavy rich 
feeds. 

ROUGHAGES FOR FATTENING. 

The legume hays furnish the best roughages for 
fattening sheep. In the East flockowners may raise 



Feeding Sheep for Market. 161 

clover or alfalfa, those in the South cowpeas and 
perhaps alfalfa, and those in the West alfalfa. In 
Colorado, where in 1907 two million lambs and 
sheep were fed, the standard ration is alfalfa hay 
and corn, these feeds forming about ninety-five per 
cent of all the feed used. 

Good pea straw, and also bean straw, are relished 
by sheep. Of recent years a few sheep have been 
successfully fattened on pea-cannery refuse, to- 
gether with grain. In some sections of the West, 
especially in the San Luis valley, Colorado, many 
lambs and sheep are grazed on field peas. The 
sheep are turned on the peas as soon as they ma- 
ture, and without other feed are fattened in from 
70 to 120 days. 

As before stated, timothy or marsh hay should 
never be offered to sheep if other roughage can be 
secured. Good, bright, fine oat straw is preferable 
to either of these roughages. 

SUCCULENT FEEDS. 

Succulent feeds, such as roots and corn silage, 
are valuable in feeding sheep for market. In the 
writer's experience roots not only keep the digest- 
ive organs of sheep in good condition but also make 
considerable gain and increase the yolk in the wool 
to quite an extent. Not much additional gain can 
be expected from feeding corn silage to lambs, 

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Feeding Sheep for Market. 163 

but this feed also is valuable in keeping the digest- 
ive organs in good condition. 

Near beet sugar factories wet beet pulp has 
proved to be satisfactory for fattening lambs when 
fed with such feeds as alfalfa hay and corn. 

RAPE FEEDING PREVIOUS TO FATTENING. 

From trials carried on at this Station it has been 
found that very cheap gains have been made by 
feeding rape previous to placing the sheep in the 
feed lot. If a piece of rape is sown not later than 
July 1 it will come in handy to turn the sheep onto 
before they are placed in the feed lot. In an ex- 
periment conducted at this Station lambs pastured 
on rape, but fed no grain, made as large gains as 
others on good grass pasture and fed one pound 
of grain daily but no rape. In other words one 
pound of grain was saved by each lamb daily, and 
the lambs on rape made just as much gain as the 
other lambs that received one pound of grain. It 
was further learned when finishing both lots off 
on dry feed that the lambs which had received 
rape previously did considerably better than the 
other lot not receiving rape before being put into 
the feed lot. The writer must say that he has al- 
ways placed great faith in rape as a cheap and 
valuable feed for sheep. 



164 Sheep Management. 

BEST TIME TO MARKET. 

Lambs are generally fed from sixty to ninety 
days before marketing, depending upon the condi- 
tion they are in when put into the feed lot. The 
prices on the market must also be taken into con- 
sideration. If lambs are to be marketed early in 
the season the feeding should be commenced 
early, so that they may be ready just about the 
time when the rush to market in the fall is over. 
There are times when there is a notable scarcity 
on the market, one of which is between the mar- 
keting of the grass-fed and the winter-fed lot, 
from about December 10 to January 10. At this 
time lambs usually sell for high prices, since the 
grass lambs have all come to market and most of 
those put in the feed lot are not ready for market. 
By having the lambs ready for market at this time 
strong competition may be avoided. If a late mar- 
ket is decided upon the feeding may be started 
late, so as to get the lambs on the market when 
most feeding yards are exhausted, namely in the 
latter part of March and April. Although a high- 
priced market cannot be guaranteed for these 
times every year, still, on the average, compara- 
tively high prices are paid at this period of the 
year. Always try to bring your stuff to market 
when the other fellow is not there, so as to avoid 
competition. 



Feeding Sheep for Market. 165 

Feeders often make a mistake in marketing 
their lambs before they are fat. Sheep or lambs 
that are not in a fat condition when brought to the 
market, or so-called "half-fed" stuff, are often sold 
at a sacrifice. Butchers are willing to pay high 
prices for prime animals, but are just as unwilling 
to pay much for stuff only half fat. This class of 
sheep suffers from depression in price at nearly 
all times of the year. 

Large, heavy ewes are invariably considered a 
drug on the market, while lambs weighing from 
eighty to ninety pounds and in prime condition are 
readily sold at good prices. The eighty-five pound 
lamb is in greater demand on the market than the 
one hundred pound lamb. Packers claim that the 
one hundred pound lamb is not as profitable to 
them as what is termed the "handy weight" lamb. 

In a lot of fattening lambs some will always 
thrive better and put on flesh more rapidly than 
others. Therefore, when some of them have been 
properly fattened and prices are right, these 
should be selected and shipped and the thinner 
ones should be retained and fed until they also 
have become fat. 

Before marketing lambs clip all loose locks of 
wool off from their sides and necks, caused by 
rubbing against each other on the feed troughs or 
crowding each other at meal time. Also tag them 



166 Sheep Management. 

nicely around the tail. When this is done at least 
ten per cent will be added to their selling price. 
Expert buyers do not judge by looks alone, and 
they thoroughly handle the sheep before bidding 
on them. Yet the clean, broad, and square appear- 
ance of a lamb at its rear adds greatly to the sell- 
ing price. Never forget that a good looking bunch 
of lambs or sheep on the market will always at- 
tract the eye of the buyer. 

HOW TO FEED BEFORE SHIPPING. 

It is a very foolish practice to fill lambs up on 
feed to their utmost capacity before loading them 
for market. Some feeders believe that they will 
gain by stuffing the lambs before loading, but this 
is not the case. When they are filled up in such 
manner, many will begin to scour before reaching 
the market, and will have a very disagreeable and 
filthy appearance when they arrive. Such lambs 
will also shrink more in weight than those fed 
only their regular ration, or even less. Even with 
proper feeding before loading the shaking they get 
in transit in freight cars, and the puffing and the 
noise of the engine, — quite a change of conditions 
from the quiet home from whence they have come, 
-is sufficient to upset their stomachs, and if they 
are overloaded with feed beforehand matters are 
much worse. They will look cleaner, brighter, and 



Feeding Sheep for Market. 167 

fresher when coming out of the car if fed only on 
dry feed before being loaded, and not even a full 
meal at that. When fed lightly they will drink 
water upon their arrival at the stock yards and 
will look just about as good as they did at home, 
and the shrinkage will be comparatively small. 

Another mistake that is very often made is 
crowding too many lambs into one car. What is 
the result? First, it is hard on the animals, and 
second, it means another loss to the shipper. When 
there is not sufficient standing room in the car 
and the lambs are packed together like sardines, 
the larger and stronger lambs will free themselves 
by jumping on top of the others, but what becomes 
of those underneath? They will patiently bear 
the load as long as possible. Their strength, how- 
ever, gives away before they reach their destina- 
tion, and they sink to the floor and suffocate. 
More than once the writer has seen stock cars 
opened at stock yards in which from three to seven 
lambs were found dead, due to overcrowding in 
the car. Is there any profit in this? Is it not cruel 
to subject poor, innocent lambs to such a terrible 
death? No intelligent feeder or shipper will allow 
himself to be guilty of such actions. 

WINTER LAMBS. 

Where the chief object is to raise lambs for mar- 
ket, there is in the writer's opinion no way to make 




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Feeding Sheep for Market. 169 

money faster than by raising winter, or so-called 
"hot-house" lambs. The winter lamb is born in 
the fall in the months of October and November, 
while lambs are usually born in the spring. With 
proper care these lambs can be gotten ready for 
market during the winter, from Christmas to 
Easter, at a time when young, juicy lamb is a 
scarcity, and such meat will bring high prices in 
the markets of the large cities. 

In order to raise winter lambs we must have 
ewes that can be bred from about the middle of 
March till the first of July. Nearly all breeds of 
sheep take the ram in the fall and lamb in the 
spring, and it is rarely possible to make them re- 
verse the order of nature. 

Various methods have been advocated to get any 
breed of ewes to breed in the spring and summer. 
Some claimed that when ewes were taken in the 
spring or summer and kept in a cold place, such 
as an ice-house, for about a week they would 
breed. Another method advocated was, after feed- 
ing the ewes in the morning, to drive them all day 
long on a shady road. When this had been re- 
peated each day for a week it was claimed the ew r es 
would surely breed. Still another method was to 
feed the ewes very highly, giving them all they 
would eat of the richest grain, besides hay or other 
feeds. At the end of a week they were to be fed 



170 



Sheep Management. 



on a very scant ration, such as oat straw, with lit- 
tle or nothing else. After these two weeks, one of 
high living and the other of almost starvation, they 
were again fed an abundance of the richest feeds 




Plate 49. Two grade Dorset ewes with their four winter lambs at 
the University of Wisconsin. 

and were supposed to breed immediately. All of 
these artificial methods have been tried by the 
writer, but none of them proved to be at all suc- 
cessful, which emphasizes the difficulty of work- 
ing against nature. However, the ewes of one breed 
of sheep, the Dorset Horn, naturally breed in the 



Feeding Sheep for Market. 171 

spring or early summer. This breed of sheep is 
therefore best adapted to the raising of winter 
lambs. 

There is another breed of sheep, the Tunis, which 
it is claimed will breed in the spring like the Dor- 
sets. However, the writer has had no experience 
with Tunis sheep and is therefore unable to make 
any statement concerning their merits in this re- 
spect. 

While it has been said that Dorset ewes will 
breed in the spring and summer, it can also be 
said that some of them will breed twice in one 
year and thus drop two crops of lambs. At this 
Station some years ago a Dorset ram was crossed 
on grade Shropshire ewes, and the majority of the 
ewes from this first cross bred like pure-bred Dor- 
sets in the early spring and again in the fall. In the 
accompanying illustration are shown two of these 
grade Dorset ewes and their lambs. The writer 
especially remembers one of these grade Dorset 
ewes which for two years in succession bred twice 
a year, dropped two lambs each time, and raised 
them all. 

CARE OF DORSET EWES. 

Dorset ewes before they are bred in the spring 
should be in good flesh and should be sheared as 
early as possible in the season. When the desired 
breeding time approaches a good, strong, vigorous 



172 Sheep Management. 

ram should be turned with the flock and left with 
them all day and night. While this is perhaps con- 
trary to what has been previously recommended, 
in this case it will help to get the ewes to breed 
more quickly, as the ram when left with the flock 
will tease the ewes. 

If a Dorset flock of ewes is once established a 
ram of one of the other mutton breeds may be 
used. Of course, the ewe lambs could not then be 
kept for further winter lamb breeding, as they 
would tend to lose Dorset characteristics. What- 
ever breed the ram is, he should be a vigorous fel- 
low and in thrifty condition. 

In the summer months after the ewes have been 
bred they do not need any special care so long as 
they have plenty of good pasture. In the fall, how- 
ever, when lambing time approaches and pastures 
usually get scant, the ewes should receive a little 
grain in order to insure a heavy milk flow. A 
warm place must be provided for these ewes to 
lamb in, since young lambs grow and thrive much 
better in general in a warm place than they do in 
a cold one. When a lamb lies down, curls up into 
a ball, and shivers from the cold it will not grow 
well. On the other hand, when it is nice and warm 
in their quarters and the lambs feel comfortable, 
get up and stretch themselves, play and jump, then 
they will thrive and do well. 



Feeding Sheep for Market 173 

The writer has learned during many years of ex- 
perience with this breed of sheep, that compared 
with other breeds, the Dorsets are extremely heavy 
milkers. This may be due to the fact that a large 
flow of milk is necessary to feed the two or three 
lambs a Dorset ewe will usually have. As these 
ewes are such good mothers they need extra good 
feeding after lambing, especially if they are to 
have two crops of lambs in a year. 

FEEDING THE WINTER LAMBS. 

When the young lambs begin to eat, a good grain 
ration must be given them, such as is elsewhere 
mentioned in this book. Good alfalfa or second 
crop clover hay is also essential. Furthermore, if 
this line of work is to be carried on, roots, and 
especially cabbage, should be grown and stored 
so they may be fed to the mothers to increase their 
flow of milk, and to the lambs to make them grow 
as fast as possible. The writer has found that 
these young lambs relish cabbage, chopped up 
finely, more than any other feed he knows of. The 
lambs should receive their feed in a lamb creep, 
such as has been advocated for other lambs. When 
kept in good warm quarters, fed properly, and fur- 
nished by their mothers with an abundance of 
milk, the lambs can be made to gain five or six 
pounds per week. The writer has raised winter 



174 Sheep Management. 

lambs which when fifty days old weighed fifty-five 
pounds, and others which weighed sixty-three 
pounds when sixty days old. 

The desired weight for this class of lambs is from 
forty-five to sixty pounds, and they should sell for 
from fifteen to twenty cents per pound, live weight. 
Of course, the selling price will depend on the fat- 
ness and plumpness of the lamb and the market. 
In general such lambs will sell for a higher price 
in the Eastern markets than in the markets of the 
Middle-West. Quite a number of lambs raised at 
this Station have been sold on the Chicago market 
for from $10.00 to $13.00 per head at the age of 
sixty days or under. As Dorset ewes generally 
have twins, or even triplets, it can be seen that 
there is a great profit in this line of sheep hus- 
bandry. In the cases where ewes breed twice a 
year the profit is correspondingly larger. The 
writer wishes to emphasize the fact that where 
ewes raise two crops of lambs each year they must 
be well fed at all times, in order to uphold their 
vitality under the severe strain. Such ewes have 
been known to take the ram again when their suck- 
ling lambs were only three weeks old. 

It has been found to be more profitable to dress 
the lambs before sending them to market than to 
ship them alive, for such young chaps shrink heav- 
ily in transit. Of course, when dressed at home, 



Feeding Sheep for Market. 175 

some such market as a hotel, a restaurant, or a 
meat market must be secured in advance and 
the dressed lambs shipped direct to that place. 
The lambs may either be fully dressed or rough 
dressed, that is, with the skin on the carcass, ac- 
cording to the requirements of the consumer. 



CHAPTER IX. 

FITTING SHEEP FOR THE SHOW RING. 

While fitting and showing is pursued by com- 
paratively few of the thousands of flockmasters, it 
may be helpful to outline briefly the principal de- 
tails of the business for the benefit of the man who 
is thinking of taking up show fitting work. A num- 
ber of shepherds have become famous and have 
gained a national reputation for themselves and 
their employers in the show ring. Many of these 
experts are well along in years now, and others 
must be trained in this work to take the place of 
the older men who will retire. It is to assist those 
who are beginners in fitting show sheep that the 
writer takes up the subject. But fitting show sheep 
can scarcely be learned from books to the point 
of becoming an expert, because no writer is able 
to put down all the small details which he follows 
and which have to be observed to be successful in 
the show ring. Therefore, after reading all one 
can find about fitting show sheep, the beginner 
should not expect to be as successful at the start 
as the man with many years of experience. 

Some of the main obstacles for beginners may 
be avoided by learning from the experience of 

12 



178 Sheep Management. 

older show fitters. Not every one who started in 
this work can today look back with pride at his 
record. Many tried to fit and show once or twice, 
but today they are no longer in the race for they 
dropped out simply because they were not success- 
ful at the start. It seems as if only a small num- 
ber of men naturally possess the necessary liking 
for sheep, the personal qualifications, and the un- 
bounded persistency and self-sacrifice necessary 
to make a success of this work. For some men it 
is too tiresome a job, others have not enough pa- 
tience to feed so carefully as is required to obtain 
the best results. Others find it too troublesome to 
be down on their knees a good deal of their time 
molding out a sheep with the shears to a perfect 
form. 

"This work of fitting prize winners may be 
classed among the fine arts," said Prof. W. A. 
Henry at one time. This is indeed very true, and 
those who have practiced this line of work for 
years fully agree with this statement. Yet while 
there are many happy hours in the showman's life 
there are apt to be a great many more that are 
dark and gloomy. The sweet as well as the bitter 
medicine must be swallowed. No one can show 
more plainly whether he really is a man or not 
than when he meets with defeat in the show ring. 
Grumbling and disorderly conduct towards the 



Fitting Sheep for the Show Ring. 



179 



judge or fellow exhibitors have never been of any 
benefit to the showman. If the exhibitor takes his 
lessons in the proper spirit he can gain knowledge 
faster in the show ring than anywhere else. Some 




Plate 51. Champion grade Shropshire yearling wether at the Inter- 
national, 1903, shown by the University of Wisconsin. 

exhibitors, however, always look at things in the 
wrong light and therefore do not learn the valuable 
lessons which may be learned in the show ring. 
If beginners in fitting and showing sheep are ear- 
nest students in their undertaking, are reasonable, 



180 Sheep Management. 

and are able to see things in the right light they 
can in time become just as successful as the older 
men who are securing the prizes at the present 
time. 

It is not the writer's intention to discourage any- 
one from entering the field, by pointing out some 
of the dark clouds. On the contrary he wishes to 
urge all those who possess good judgment, who 
like the work, who are not afraid to put in extra 
hours, who have energy to do better work than 
others have done, and who are honest and faithful, 
to come forward and demonstrate their ability as 
loyal showmen. The beginner will not find the 
shepherds a mournful lot of fellows, but on the 
contrary, if he wishes to have a good time at shows 
and fairs, he should seek the company of the other 
shepherds after their working hours are over and 
listen to their stories and jokes. He will find them, 
as a rule, the happiest lot of fellows on the fair 
grounds. 

CLASSES OF SHOW SHEEP. 

When we speak of fitting sheep for shows we 
have in mind two distinct classes, namely the 
breeding sheep that are to be shown in the breed- 
ing classes, and the fat sheep that are to be shown 
in the fat classes. There is quite a difference in the 
fitting and preparation of these two separate 



Fitting Sheep for the Show Ring. 181 

classes of sheep. The first class can be fitted in a 
much shorter time than the fat class, and the feeds 
for them are of a little different nature from those 
for the fat class. 

SELECTION FOR THE BREEDING CLASS. 

One of the chief factors in fitting sheep for breed- 
ing classes in the show ring is to be familiar with 
the up-to-date type and conformation of the breed 
or breeds to be fitted. No sheep, no matter how 
well it may be fitted, will be a winner if it does not 
possess the correct type, combined with the proper 
conformation and color. For instance a Shrop- 
shire ram that has stubs of horns should not win 
a prize, no matter how good an individual he may 
be in all other respects, for this is contrary to the 
standard of pure-bred Shropshires. Again a ram 
with only one testicle should not be fitted, for he 
will not win a prize if the judge is capable of dis- 
covering the lack. A sheep of any breed that is 
either undersized or too large for its particular 
breed also does not receive much consideration in 
the show ring. Neither does a sheep that has not 
the right color, or has a poor conformation, or has 
crooked legs, or is in too thin a condition, or on 
the contrary is too fat, get any recognition by the 
judge. Only the best ones in the flock should be 
selected. These should be true to type, of the 



182 Sheep Management. 

right size and conformation, with the desirable 
kind of fleece and skin, with the four legs prop- 
erly set under them, and with all the style and 
carriage possible. It never pays to fit sheep for 
the show ring that are not built right, or as is often 
said, born right, as the flesh and fitting alone will 
not bring the sheep to the front in the ring if they 
are lacking in these other respects. The competi- 
tion is getting stronger year by year, and as a re- 
sult greater care must be exercised each year in 
the selection and fitting of sheep for the show 
ring. 

SHEARING SHEEP FOR THE BREEDING CLASSES. 

It is common among exhibitors in the breeding 
classes to shear their sheep quite early in the 
spring, for in the show ring a long fleece is desir- 
able on breeding sheep. For this reason, this class 
of sheep may be shorn as early as April 1, and a 
good length, growth, and staple of wool can then 
be had on the sheep at fair time. Some men shear 
even earlier than April 1, but the writer is of the 
opinion that sheep that are shorn too early have 
not as much brightness and lustre in their fleeces 
as those that are shorn at about the time stated. 
Moreover, in the hot summer weather sheep with 
too long fleeces do not do nearly as well as those 
that have shorter fleeces. 



Fitting Sheep for the Show Ring. 183 

The old fashion of "stubble" shearing, which 
means taking only part of the wool off the sheep, 
should not be reverted to at all, because all expe- 
rienced shepherds have found this to be a bad 
practice. Do not shear too early if a nice, thrifty- 
looking fleece is expected on a show sheep. The 
fine wool breeders are in the habit of shearing 
their Merinos in late fall and early winter. Al- 
though this breed of sheep does not show the effect 
of too early shearing quite as much as the middle 
and long wools do, nevertheless we occasionally 
meet some flocks of Merinos in the show ring 
whose fleeces are not in the proper "bloom," due 
to too early shearing. 

PROPER TIME TO START FITTING. 

The time to start fitting sheep intended for 
breeding classes depends upon the time they are 
to be shown. As previously mentioned, two 
months to ten weeks brings them into good shape. 
However, the fitter must use his own judgment to 
know when they are in best condition to suit the 
judge. In other words, he must be a good judge of 
sheep himself. In the case of older sheep this may 
easily be decided by careful examination as to the 
condition the sheep are in. Lambs need fitting 
from the time of their birth. 



184 Sheep Management. 

FEED FOR SHOW LAMBS. 

In order to keep lambs growing constantly they 
must always be given an abundance of feed. As 
soon as they are able to eat grain, they should re- 
ceive it. They can also be given roots, good clover 
hay, and some cabbage or turnips. Rape should 
be sown early to feed to them at the time when 
pastures are getting short in the middle of sum- 
mer. As long as the weather is cool the lambs do 
well on a grain ration consisting of bran, oats, a 
little cornmeal, and some oilmeal. However, when 
the weather begins to get hot too much corn must 
not be fed, for corn produces heat and makes 
lambs founder very easily. In the hot weather 
their ration should consist mostly of green feed. 
Some cracked field peas are very beneficial for 
fitting show sheep and lambs, as they produce a 
firm and solid flesh. In all cases lambs are much 
harder to fit than older sheep, as they are more 
tender and cannot withstand heavy feeding like 
older ones. 

FEED FOR OLDER SHEEP. 

The feed for older sheep is practically the same 
as for lambs, with the one exception that they can 
be fed more grain if it should be needed, for there 
is less danger of foundering them. In the hot 
weather it is a good plan to feed show sheep in a 



Fitting Sheep for the Show Ring. 185 

cool, airy barn during the day time and turn them 
out on good pasture during the night. This will 
give them the necessary exercise, which is abso- 
lutely indispensable in keeping them firm and in 
producing the best handling qualities. Overfeed- 
ing and crowding too rapidly should in all cases 
be avoided. Some men are of the opinion that the 
more they feed the sheep, the better the sheep 
will do, but this is quite often a mistake. Feeding 
has its limit, and if fitted so highly that they be- 
come soft, or "overdone," sheep will not win in the 
ring. 

It is a pity to see good rams and ewes that are 
fed so far beyond the limit that they are simply 
ruined and are worthless for breeding purposes. 
Such sheep could not even win in the fat classes, 
as butchers object to a lot of surplus fat on sheep 
on the block. They should be in nice flesh, but not 
overfat. The writer himself has been forced more 
than once to turn down sheep in the ring for this 
very reason. We often see sheep that are so "blub- 
bery" and overdone that they are unable to stand 
up long enough in the ring for the judge to pass 
his decision upon the class in which they are 
shown. Much improvement must be made in this 
respect, and showmen must familiarize themselves 
better with what is called "just in bloom." This 
condition of bloom is sought by all good judges 



186 Sheep Management. 

and should count more for the winning animals 
than it has in the past. 

TRIMMING SHOW SHEEP. 

Some writers and farmers have recently taken 
up arms against sheep trimming. It remains an 
open question why these men have taken such a 
step. Has not the shepherd the same right to fix 
up his stock to make it look best in the show ring 
as the cattleman, the horseman, and the exhibitor 
of hogs? Trimming sheep was first put into prac- 
tice in England. American importers saw the 
work done in that country and soon followed the 
example. Nowadays many of the shepherds in 
this country are men born in England where they 
have learned this work from their fathers and later 
have come to America and practice it here. 

There is nothing wrong in it. It seems as if only 
those men who cannot trim their sheep are the 
ones who protest against this practice. If some 
one should undertake to stop sheep trimming in 
England he would be ridiculed, since the English, 
as a rule, excel in this kind of work and take great 
pride in bringing a sheep before the judge that is 
not only well fed, but also carries its best fitted 
suit of clothes on its body. It does not make much 
difference to a good judge how well a sheep may 
be trimmed, as he understands the proper hand- 



Fitting Sheep for the Show Ring. 187 

ling of them to find all deficiencies, but it would 
of course mislead a less experienced man and he 
ought not to undertake to judge sheep at fairs at 
all. Trimming sheep is done simply to have them 
look better when on exhibition, just as men and 
women wear their best clothes when going to a 
party. 

Trimming sheep should begin just as soon as the 
wool has grown to such a length that it may be 
worked upon with the hand shears. The old hand 
shears, well sharpened and handled by a man who 
understands his work, will do the task satisfac- 
torily. Two or three trimmings will put the sheep 
in fine shape. For this purpose, we need a pail 
of water, a coarse stubble brush to roughen up the 
wool, and a finer brush with which the wool is 
wet and brought to the surface. A wet woolen 
rag is often useful in sponging off the wool to make 
it fluffy and to free it from dirt which dulls the 
shears. A halter is also required with which to 
tie the sheep to a post or fence. Sheep will nat- 
urally stand more quietly than lambs. In trim- 
ming the animal begin on the top of its shoulder, 
working backward to the hips and tail. Try to get 
the back straight. Now the rear end must be 
trimmed to correspond with the back, and next the 
left side from the shoulder back to the thigh. The 
right side comes then, starting from the thigh for- 







'"-&%'■*■ 




fmf$B& 






^^wj \^^ 


flr 






Plate 52. Pure-bred Cheviot yearling wether 
at the University of Wisconsin; (a) in his 
rough coat; (b) after his first trimming; (c) 
as he won first prize and championship at the 
International, 1910. 



Fitting Sheep for the Show Ring. 189 

ward. If the operator can use the shears with his 
left hand he can start on the shoulder and work 
backward, the same as on the left side. The breast 
is trimmed next to make the correct lines on that 
part. Now the left side of the neck is trimmed 
and then the right side, and finally the neck and 
head are finish ed. If a sheep does not have a 
straight underline some wool may be taken off 
from the belly. 

The first set of illustrations shows a Cheviot year- 
ling wether, first, in his natural rough fleece, sec- 
ond, after the first trimming, and third, when he 
won first prize and championship at the Interna- 
tional in 1910. In the second set are given three 
similar pictures of an Oxford yearling wether 
which likewise won first prize and championship 
at the International in 1910. 

To do this work well requires considerable time 
and a great deal of patience. A person with a 
sharp eye and a good model in his mind, will make 
the best trimmer. A systematic way as outlined 
in the foregoing should be followed in order to 
perform the work in the best manner. Some peo- 
ple will clip off a little wool at one place and then 
jump to another place, so that they can never see 
clearly how much of the work is done and what 
remains to be done. 






^ 




RJ . 


- ' 






■■■HH& l 






«^^^V^ ' w 


vTl 



Plate 53. Pure-bred Oxford yearling wether, 
bred by R. J. Stone, Illinois, and fitted and shown 
by the University of Wisconsin; (a) in his rough 
coat; (b) after his first trimming; (c) as he won 
first prize and championship at the International, 
1910. 



Fitting Sheep for the Show Ring. 191 

In the case of Shropshires the covering of wool 
on their faces and legs counts for a great deal in 
the show ring. As this wool often becomes clotted 
together, in fitting the animals it may be necessary 
to wash it well with warm water, using a woolen 
rag. Often some sweet oil is used to soften the 
clotted wool up thoroughly so that it may be 
combed out with an iron comb. When the wool is 
then dry it will be fluffy and stand out to the best 
advantage. 

If a show sheep should scour and the wool at 
its rear become filthy, this filthy wool should not 
be clipped off with the shears but must be washed 
out by means of a rag, warm water, and soap. 
When these locks are clipped off with the shears 
it gives the sheep a hollow appearance at its twist, 
while its twist should look full and plump. 

A HELP IN SHEEP TRIMMING. 

Trimming sheep in hot weather often becomes 
a difficult task on account of the many flies which 
annoy the sheep by biting the parts where no wool 
is growing, such as the face, ears, and legs. The 
sheep in trying to fight flies shakes its head and 
stamps its feet constantly, thereby checking the 
speed of the trimmer, as well as leading him to 
make false clips or to cut too deeply into the fleece 
at some places. This trouble can easily be reme- 



192 Sheep Management. 

died by using a strong solution of any of the coal 
tar dips, which can be applied to the parts of the 
sheep which are free from wool, as the ears, face, 
and legs, with a tin spray pump or by means of a 
brush. This method relieves the sheep of the an- 
noyance from flies and thus furthers the speed of 
the trimmer. After being trimmed the sheep 
should not be allowed to rub itself on sharp cor- 
ners, posts, nails, or other rough objects. 

COLORING SHEEP. 

For various reasons show sheep are colored red, 
yellow, or sometimes brown. The custom of color- 
ing, like trimming, has been introduced into Amer- 
ica from England. These various colors on sheep 
have been the cause of quite a sensation at fairs, 
and have led men and women to ask whether 
breeds of sheep naturally grow red, yellow, and 
brown wool. The writer is decidedly not in favor 
of the practice. He has never shown a sheep that 
was colored and never will, because he believes 
that a sheep with its natural color of wool nicely 
trimmed looks far better than an animal with a 
colored fleece. 

BLANKETING. 

After the sheep have gone through the trimming 
process and their fleeces look as smooth as a 
planed board, it is well to cover them with blan- 



Fitting Sheep for the Show Ring. 193 

kets before starting out to the fairs. This will keep 
the fleeces in good shape, will prevent them from 
getting roughened up in transit, and will further- 
more to a certain extent stop the fingering and 
spoiling of the appearances of the fleeces by peo- 
ple who thoughtlessly handle the sheep. Blan- 
kets, if not adjusted to fit the sheep smoothly, 
often disfigure it by cutting into the wool at one 
place or another, especially around the neck of 
the sheep. 

TRAINING SHEEP FOR THE SHOW. 

While trimming is being done it is a good idea 
to have the sheep practice standing right or posing 
for the judge when in the ring. Many sheep have 
been found to act very wild and to stand in queer 
positions in the ring when the judge is to pass on 
them. On account of their unwieldy conduct and 
unnatural standing position some prizes have been 
lost to the owner. If properly handled and given 
frequent lessons on correct standing they soon 
learn what is expected of them, and they will not 
then disappoint their master in the ring at a mo- 
ment when all little details may bring success or 
take away prize money from him. Sheep may be 
trained to follow their master like a dog. Of 
course, the master must be the one to accomplish 
these results. As said before, the rough, coarse, 

13 



194 Sheep Management. 

and brutal fellow will never get a sheep to do any- 
thing for him, as it remembers only too well the 
kind of treatment it has received. 

SHELTER FOR SHOW SHEEP. ' 

When fitting has begun great care must be taken 
that the show sheep do not get wet. If a clean 
fleece is desired, the sheep should be washed thor- 
oughly at the time when fitting begins. From then 
on by no means should they be allowed to become 
wet. During the fitting period the yolk distributes 
itself nicely throughout the fleece, and if the sheep 
is exposed to a heavy rain the yolk will be washed 
out, which destroys the lustre and bright, healthy 
appearance. When the fleece has once been 
spoiled somewhat, especially when it has already 
been trimmed once or twice, it can never be made 
right again. While it has been stated that sheep 
should be turned out on pasture nights to get lots 
of exercise, it should be borne in mind that we do 
not mean' on nights when rain is expected or pre- 
dicted. The writer recalls many a night when he 
turned out his show sheep, not expecting that it 
would rain before the next morning. A heavy 
thunder shower would come up after midnight 
and wake him out of his sleep. As quickly as pos- 
sible he would then run to the place where the 
sheep were kept and get them under roof before 



Fitting Sheep for the Show Ring. 195 

they got wet, although he himself was perhaps wet 
to the skin on returning home. This, however, 
made no difference to him for he rejoiced if he 
succeeded in keeping his show sheep dry. This, 
fellow sheepmen, is one of the numerous self- 
sacrifices mentioned before. 

TRIMMING THE FEET OF SHOW SHEEP. 

It has been advised in this work that sheep 
should have their feet trimmed and looked after 
at least twice a year, in spring and fall, but sheep 
being fitted for shows need to have their feet 
trimmed much more frequently. These sheep are 
more or less confined and do not wear down their 
hoofs as much as sheep that are constantly out 
of doors in the summer months. Furthermore, 
from observation it seems that when a sheep is 
fed well and is putting on flesh its hoofs grow in 
proportion to the amount of flesh put on its body. 
Therefore, to keep them straight on their feet the 
wise shepherd examines them once every month 
and removes all surplus hoof. 

REDUCING SHOW SHEEP AFTER FAIRS. 

When sheep have been once highly fitted and 
shown they cannot be kept in that condition, but 
have to be reduced in flesh. For instance, a win- 
ning yearling will not be a winner the following 



196 Sheep Management. 

year as a two-year-old, unless some of the old flesh 
has been taken off and new flesh substituted in its 
place. The old flesh left on the sheep becomes 
soft and stale, and the skin gets pale and will not 
have the desired "bloom." 

This work of reducing flesh has to be done just 
as carefully as putting on flesh. The writer knows 
of a first prize winning sheep that was sold to a 
man who did not know how to reduce it. In spite 
of the fact that he was warned to be careful and 
not let it down in condition too fast, he killed the 
sheep in less than one month by reducing the flesh 
too quickly through cutting down the feed. The 
reduction in feed, especially grain, must be made 
very gradually, so that the sheep do not experi- 
ence a great drop in the amount of feed at any 
time. Remember that lots of exercise is necessary 
to bring show sheep back into natural condition, 
just as much as it was in fitting them for the ring. 
Indeed, exercise is one of the most important fac- 
tors in letting them down in condition. 



CHAPTER X. 

FITTING WETHERS FOR SHOWS. 

The work of so fitting and preparing wethers 
for fat stock shows that they will win on the hoof 
as well as on the block may be considerd the most 
difficult task of all show fitting. In the breeding 
classes the sheep are only passed upon when alive, 
while in the fat classes they are first judged alive 
and are then sent to the slaughter house where the 
expert butcher and cutter determines the final 
merit of the carcasses. The material contained in 
this book is not based upon reading agricultural 
papers and it is not taken from books or the ex- 
perience of others, but is based upon the practical 
experience and knowledge gained by the author 
in fitting many wethers which have won first prizes, 
championships and grand championships on the 
hoof, as well as on the block. 

A great many of the show sheep in the breeding 
classes at state fairs and other large shows are im- 
ported from Engalnd, where they have received 
part or all of their fitting from the English shep- 
herds before coming to this country. It is an easy 
matter for the Americans to keep them in the trim 
to which the English have brought them. For- 




Plate 54. Champion grade Shropshire yearling wether at the Inter- 
national, 1906, shown by the University of Wisconsin. 



Fitting Wethers for Shows. 199 

merly, only once in a while were a few fat wethers 
imported from England, and it was therefore left 
to the shepherds of this country to fit and prepare 
the candidates in this class of sheep for our fat 
stock shows. During recent years, however, the 
American fitter has been compelled to stand face 
to face in the fat stock show ring with his English 
and Canadian brothers, who have brought their 
home-fitted wethers directly from their native 
country to the International Live Stock Show and 
other fat stock shows. It can easily be understood 
what a struggle it must be to compete with an En- 
glish fitter, considering the climatic conditions and 
other advantages which the English have over the 
Americans. Therefore, the American who suc- 
ceeds in defeating the imported English stock has 
won a great victory. 

Type, fleece, and color of skin are not as essen- 
tial in the show ring for fat wethers as for sheep 
of the breeding classes, because there are other 
factors of still greater importance for sheep to 
go on the block. In the fat wether on the hoof his 
form and the amount and kind of flesh he carries 
are the most important points. When on the block 
the most essential points of the carcass are the per- 
centage of edible meat, and the quality, color, and 
marbling of the meat. There are three distinct 
classes of wethers. The first class is not far 



200 Sheep Management. 

enough advanced in condition and flesh, the sec- 
ond is just right, and the third is too far advanced. 
The second or middle class is of course the one 
which is successful. 

Thorough knowledge and great judgment in feed- 
ing are required to get the animal in just the proper 
condition. In late years judges of fat wethers have 
been far more accurate in making their decisions 
than they were in former years. They know that 
the expert carcass judge next passes his judgment 
upon the animals and brings to light either the 
correctness or incorrectness of the decision when 
on foot. To fit a wether with the highest quality 
of meat, so that every part of his body is covered 
smoothly with the firmest kind of flesh, and so 
that his carcass does not show any surplus fat, or 
tallow, and yet possesses a mellow touch, is by no 
means a small task. 

SELECTION OF WETHERS. 

As in the case of breeding sheep, only well-bal- 
anced animals should be selected to fit for the fat 
stock ring. Wethers that have long legs, crooked 
feet, or broken-down pasterns are of no use. The 
right kind of wether should have an even, straight, 
smooth, broad back and should be free from 
coarseness in any part. While we like to see as 
much type as possible, still it is far less important 



Fitting Wethers for Shows. 



201 



in fat wethers than in breeding animals. In pick- 
ing out a wether to fit for the fat class the most im- 
portance should be placed on his conformation, 




Plate 55. Pure-bred Hampshire yearling wether winning third 
prize in open class and championship in American class at the Inter- 
national, 1910, shown by the University of Wisconsin. 

firm handling qualities, and density of fleece. In 
the writer's experience no wether which has had a 
long, loose, open fleece, for his particular breed, 



202 Sheep Management. 

has ever proved to be a prize winner when fat- 
tened. His favorites have always been those with 
comparatively short and very dense fleeces. If a 
wether handles soft at the start he will be much 
worse at the end of the fitting period, and no soft, 
blubbery wether can win if a capable judge is 
making the awards. 

SHEARING WETHERS. 

Wethers for show can be sheared much later in 
the season than breeding animals, since the length 
of the wool does not count for much on wethers 
in the show ring. Wethers which have been 
sheared too early suffer a great deal on hot sum 
mer days and do not progress nearly so well as 
when sheared later on, although judgment must be 
used not to go to an extreme and let them suffer 
from heat with their old, long coats on. A short 
fleece tends to make them more firm and solid, 
while a long fleece makes them seem soft. Weth- 
ers that are brought into the show ring with com- 
paratively short fleeces on them generally handle 
well, and these good handlers are selected as win- 
ners. 

AGE TO SHOW WETHERS. 

In earlier years fat wethers, at least at some 
shows, consisted of three classes, two-year-olds, 
yearlings, and lambs. Nowadays the two-year-old 



Fitting Wethers for Shows. 203 

class is not listed, and the writer believes that in 
time the yearling class will also drop out of ex- 
istence. The nice juicy lamb chop is in just as 
great demand at the present time as baby beef. 
The American people desire the youngest and 
juiciest kind of meat for consumption, and they 
find the lamb better than the yearling. It may be 
said right here that only an extra good lamb should 
be carried over to be fitted as a yearling. Unless 
one can foresee that the lamb will be a prize win- 
ner as a yearling there is no use feeding it an- 
other year, since the lamb will sell for about as 
much as the yearling, and one year's feed is saved. 

BEST CLASS TO FIT. 

If the writer had a choice in selecting yearlings 
to be fitted from a lot which contained some that 
had been fitted and shown as lambs and others 
that had not been fitted previously, both lots being 
equally good in general make-up, he would imme- 
diately decide upon those that had not been fitted 
and shown as lambs. He would do this because it 
is very difficult to make a prize winning lamb a 
prize winning yearling. Yet in one instance the 
writer was very fortunate in taking first, champion- 
ship, and grand championship prizes at the Inter- 
national Live Stock Show at Chicago on a year- 
ling which the previous year, as a lamb, had won 



204 Sheep Management. 

first prize. However, this was a very exceptional 
case. Sheep with new flesh and in new bloom are 
the best kind to show. 

FEEDING THE WETHERS. 

It takes from four to four and one-half months 
of steady feeding to get yearling wethers in proper 
shape for the show ring and the block. Of course 
animals in a rather thin condition will require an 
even longer feeding period. This work should 
never be hurried and crowded along too rapidly, 
for if the wethers are pushed along too fast the 
chances are that they will become soft and lose 
their firm handling quality. Lambs, however, are 
brought right forward from the day they com- 
mence eating. It is very essential that lambs and 
yearlings should not be overheated, which often 
happens in hot weather. Therefore, especially 
during the hot weather, grain should be fed but 
once a day, until cooler weather comes on towards 
fall. Cabbage and turnips tend to keep them cool 
when fed to them during the warmest weather. 
When there is a shortage of pasture clover or 
alfalfa hay may be fed. 

THE BEST GRAIN MIXTURE TO FEED. 

In the writer's experience no better results have 
been obtained in producing winners on the hoof, 



Fitting Wethers for Shows. 



205 



as well as on the block, than by feeding yearling 
wethers a grain mixture consisting of one part 
bran, two parts oats, one part cracked field peas, 
and one part barley. A little corn may be added in 




Plate 56. A pair of prize-winning Southdown yearling wethers 
shown by the University of Wisconsin. 

place of peas, if these are not available. Heavy 
corn feeding, however, should be avoided, as it 
produces too soft a carcass, which does not insure 
firm handling when alive and shows surplus fat 
when dressed. Many fitters of wethers have 
learned bitter lessons from feeding too much corn. 



206 Sheep Management. 

This rich grain ration will not do for lambs in 
warm weather, for it is too heavy. During the 
warm weather a mixture of bran, oats, and a very 
little oilmeal has given satisfaction for feeding 
lambs. In cool weather a few peas and a little 
barley or corn will not injure the lambs, but, in 
general, lambs need very close watching so as not 
to overload them with grain, which causes over- 
heating and foundering. They should, however, 
have all the green feeds they can eat. During the 
hottest months of the fitting period the best feeds 
for them are cabbage, rape, green clover, turnips, 
or rutabagas. At this time these feeds, together 
with some good clover or alfalfa hay, preferably 
the latter, should be their main ration. The 
feeder must judge as to the amount of grain to be 
fed to each animal. 

Often the writer has been feeding yearlings 
heavily for two or three weeks, because he thought 
that they were not advancing rapidly. After 
handling them again, he found that they were gain- 
ing too fast, and therefore the grain ration was 
decreased somewhat so that at show time they 
would be in just the proper condition. The touch 
of the feeder's hand must guide the feeding. 
Lambs hardly ever get too fat. 



Fitting Wethers for Shows. 207 

FITTING YEARLING WETHERS. 

The writer will now give the course pursued by 
him in fitting yearling wethers and lambs that 
have been successfully shown at the largest fat 
stock shows. 

All the animals which have been fitted for these 
shows have been fed experimentally on different 
rations in order to study the value of various feeds. 
In so doing all the feed except pasturage is weighed 
and recorded, enabling the writer to give here the 
most successful rations. 

The yearlings are sheared from April 30 to May 
10, according to the weather. They are turned out 
on grass about May 20. No grain, hay, or other feed 
is now given them. About July 10 they are brought 
to the barn, and from this date a small allowance 
of grain is fed every morning, after which they are 
driven into a small pasture near the barn where 
there are nice shade trees. 

About July 15 the first trimming or so-called 
blocking-out is done. A cool day should always 
be chosen for trimming any sheep, as otherwise 
they are apt to become overheated from struggling 
before they become accustomed to being trimmed. 
About August 10 the pasture is generally becom- 
ing scant and some nice clover hay is therefore fed 
to them in the evening. At the same time the early 
cabbage is ready for feeding, and each wether re- 



208 Sheep Management. 

ceives from one and one-half to two pounds per 
head daily. 

About August 15 they are trimmed the second 
time, and where the wool was too short at the time 
of the first trimming to give the wether the proper 



Plate 57. Pure-bred Southdown yearling wether winning third 
prize in open class and championship in college class at the Interna- 
tional, 1910, shown by the University of Wisconsin. 

shape, it is now trimmed to the best form possible. 
The grain ration is also increased a little at this 
time. Beginning September 20, grain is fed twice 
daily, the full amount formerly fed being still 
given in the morning, but only a little being at first 
given in the evening. The amount is gradually in- 
creased as the weather gets cooler. A little hay is 



Fitting Wethers for Shows. 209 

now fed in the morning after the grain is given and 
before they go out to pasture. The wethers now re- 
ceive a third trimming, after which they need only 
be kept smooth, as their form has been shaped at 
previous trimmings. At each trimming the weth- 
ers are carefully handled and their condition 
studied, so that their grain ration may be increased 
or decreased in view of the time when they are to 
be shown. About October 1 rutabagas are ready to 
be fed, and as excessive cabbage feeding may tend 
to make the wethers a little soft in handling, each 
wether receives about two pounds of rutabagas 
each day chopped up with a root cutter. The 
amount of cabbage is reduced at this time to one 
pound for each wether, making two pounds of 
roots and one pound of cabbage for each wether 
daily. 

This ration is continued until November 1 when 
cabbage is abandoned and the same amount of 
roots, two pounds, still fed. The aim from this 
time on is to feed them mostly on grain and hay, 
so that they will become firm and hard and be solid 
in handling, which is the main point in the ring 
as well as on the block. If time permits they are 
given another trimming about the middle of Octo- 
ber. About November 15 they are touched up 
with the shears for the last time and are then cov- 
ered with blankets. 

14 



210 Sheep Management. 

Their feet receive careful attention at least every 
five or six weeks, and the hoofs are trimmed when 
found necessary. Until November 1 the wethers 
are out of doors every day, with the exception of 
rainy days, principally to get all the exercise pos- 
sible. After November 1 they are kept in the barn 
day and night, and only in the nicest weather are 
they allowed to run about in the sheep yard for a 
couple of hours at a time. For shows that are held 
earlier in the fall than the International the feed- 
ing has to be crowded along a little more. Before 
loading on the car for shipment to the show they 
are fed only a half meal of dry feed, to prevent 
scouring. 

When feeding yearling wethers and lambs we 
often find that some of them become troubled with 
sore sheaths. These should be treated as already 
stated elsewhere in this work. They should be 
washed out with a syringe a few times, using one 
quart of warm water to one-half teaspoonful of 
permanganate of potash, and a little iodoform 
should be sprinkled on the sore. This treatment 
will soon remedy the trouble. 

FITTING WETHER LAMBS. 

Lambs that are to be shown late in the fall are 
generally put into the barn about September 1. 
Their grain ration has been outlined before. Dur- 



Fitting Wethers for Shows. 211 

ing warm weather they should be fed all the green 
feed they will eat, such as cabbage, roots, and 
green clover. Care must be taken that they are 
not overheated and foundered from too heavy 
grain feeding. There is, however, no danger of 
getting lambs too fat through heavy grain feeding, 
for they are growing too rapidly to put on much 
fat. In cooler weather more grain may safely be 
fed, and the allowance of green feed cut down 
somewhat, for feeding an excessive amount of 
green feed continuously is apt to make the lambs 
a little soft. Of course, there is not nearly so much 
danger of lambs handling soft as there is in the 
case of yearlings. If a lamb at any time becomes 
overheated and founders from eating too much 
grain, it should be separated from the rest of the 
flock and be given a dose of two tablespoonfuls 
of epsom salts dissolved in water for a physic. If 
this does not bring about the desired results 
the dose should be repeated. The lamb should 
not be given any more grain until the trouble is 
over. When lambs are overheated they are stiff' 
in their legs and body, shake when walking, and 
drink lots of water. If they are once foundered it 
is difficult to get them right again. 

SYMPTOMS OF FOUNDER. 

The term foundering is well known to many ex- 
pert show fitters. It does not make any difference 



212 



Sheep Management. 



how well any man is posted in fitting sheep, he 
will once in a while have a foundered lamb. In 
a bunch of eight to ten head fed in the most care- 
ful manner, there are perhaps one or two which 
are more greedy than the others. By this greedi- 




Plate 58. Grand champion pure-bred Southdown yearling wether 
at the International, 1910, shown by the Huntleywood Farm, Quebec, 
Canada. 

ness they get a little more grain than their share, 
and if the grain is of a heavy, rich nature during 
warm weather they become foundered. 

A foundered lamb becomes stiff on all its four 
legs. It walks just as if it did not have any joints 
in its limbs, its temperature is abnormally high, 
and its breathing is very fast, indicating a feverish 



Fitting Wethers for Shows. 213 

condition. It does not care to walk even a shorl 
distance and lies down every twenty to thirty 
feet, and sometimes oftener, when it is driven. 
This condition is due to an overheated, so-called 
"burned out" stomach caused by eating too much 
heavy grain. While a certain amount of graia 
may bring on this trouble in hot weather, in cooler 
weather this same amount, or even more, would 
not hurt the lamb in the least. 

REMEDY FOR FOUNDER. 

A foundered lamb should be removed from the 
rest and placed in as cool quarters as can be given 
it. The grain allowance should be discontinued, 
and it should be fed on green feeds, such as rape' 
cabbage, turnips, and green clover, with perhaps 
a little good hay. The lamb should remain in 
these cool quarters until the feverish condition has 
disappeared. While there is scarcely any medi- 
cine that will help the lamb so affected, yet a quar- 
ter of a teaspoonful of saltpeter given twice a day 
in a little water may prove of some help. A dose 
or two of physic is also beneficial. 

TRIMMING THE LAMBS. 

Lambs do not necessarily need to be trimmed 
until they are brought to the barn, which, as al- 
ready mentioned, is about September 1. On any 



214 Sheep Management. 

cool day after that date they may receive their 
first trimming. Three trimmings should bring 
them into very nice form, as their wool is longer 
than that on yearlings, and therefore they can be 
blocked out with fewer trimmings. While they 
are being fitted it is necessary to give their feet 
attention, one or two trimmings usually being nec- 
essary to keep their hoofs in proper shape. 

SELECTING BLOCK WINNERS. 

Very often many of the prize winning wethers 
on the hoof do not win on the block. This is prob- 
ably true in more cases in England than in Amer- 
ica. At the English shows fatter, softer, and more 
blubbery wethers are shown than in America, and 
these animals are awarded the prize money be- 
cause the English seem to like fatter mutton than 
do Americans. The American judges of fat weth- 
ers have come to realize what it is that the butcher 
wants when the animal is brought on the block. 

It has been demonstrated time and again that 
the Southdown excels all other breeds when it 
comes to the block test. This breed of sheep more 
adequately fills the requirements of what consti- 
tutes a good form, and shows the proper mixing 
of fat with lean meat, which forms what is termed 
"nicely marbled" meat. The carcass possesses 
great thickness, and has the least tallow in propor- 



Fitting Wethers for Shows. 215 

tion to the lean meat. The Shropshire stands next 
in rank to the Southdown, judging from the win- 
nings by this breed at the International during the 
past eleven years. 

























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Plate 59. Champion pure-bred Cheviot yearling wether at the Inter- 
national, 1909, shown by the University of Wisconsin. 

A person who has carefully observed the awards 
made in the carcass classes, can pretty well judge 
when the sheep are alive which of them will win 
on the block. Such carcasses will win that cut the 
most edible meat, especially those parts that sell 
for the highest prices, providing, of course, that 



216 Sheep Management. 

the meat is of the proper quality. A wether that 
usually wins on the block is of the following de- 
scription when alive. To start with he has a very 
short neck, is broad and smooth on the shoulders, 
with a well-developed back, has no depression be- 
tween shoulder and first rib, and has sides which 
do not bulge out. His back is very smooth and 
broad, being especially broad and thick over the 
loin, with a long, wide hind quarter filled out well 
in the twist nearly to the hocks. There is no sur- 
plus fat on the tail-head, nor on the fore flank, 
the belly does not hang down too deep, and the 
legs are short and not coarse in bone. The wether 
must have a very firm handling quality, as those 
that handle soft alive will also handle soft when 
dressed. If fed on the right kind of feed the car- 
cass will display the desired so-called "cream" 
color. 

The writer has fitted the champion carcass prize 
winners five years out of eleven years' showing at 
the International, and has won many other prizes 
in these classes. He has therefore gained some 
knowledge, at least, in this line of work. At the 
close of this discussion it may be stated that a 
wether that has the right conformation and is fed 
the proper quantity of the right kind of feed is 
bound to win on the block. Among these feeds, 



Fitting Wethers for Shows. 217 

alfalfa and clover hay, oats, barley, bran, and espe- 
cially peas may be highly recommended. 

JUDGING SHEEP AT FAIRS. 

Acting as the judge of sheep at fairs is by no 
means a small task, for the person who performs 
this duty assumes a large measure of responsi- 
bility. Incompetence of a judge is inexcusable in 
every event. No person should ever attempt to 
act as judge, even at a county fair, unless he pos- 
sesses the necessary qualifications. Wherever 
judging is done at any fair, whether large or small, 
a crowd of interested onlookers watch the work 
and decisions of the judge, and aim to learn the 
highest type and conformation of animals. If the 
judge is not capable of selecting the best animals 
for the prize winners from those which are brought 
before him, but selects unworthy candidates, he is 
not only depriving exhibitors of their prize money 
and the honor rightfully belonging to them, but he 
is also deceiving the interested onlookers. He con- 
veys the wrong impression of what constitutes the 
highest class of well-conditioned show animals to 
those who come to the fair to learn. Any person 
guilty of awarding prizes to unworthy animals is 
committing an offense which he cannot rectify 
later on. Generally the practical sheepmen who 
are themselves good breeders and successful ex- 




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Fitting Wethers for Shows. 219 

hibitors have given the best satisfaction as judges. 
It is clear to everyone that a man who for years 
has cared for and raised sheep and is familiar 
with show yard deceptions will make a more effi- 
cient judge than one who only occasionally sees a 
sheep. 

The judge must possess the following qualifica- 
tions before he is competent to officiate in the ring: 

First, he must be thoroughly familiar with the 
standard of excellence of each individual breed of 
sheep he is to pass upon. 

Second, he must have learned the practical man- 
ner of handling and examining sheep. 

Third, he must possess the indispensable sharp- 
ness to quickly see the best points in one sheep and 
the defective ones in another. 

Fourth, when questioned he must be able to state 
the reasons upon which he bases his decision. 

Fifth, he should be able to pass judgment on a 
class in a fairly speedy manner. 

Sixth, and most important of all, the judge must 
be strictly honest. 

In the show ring he should accord the same treat- 
ment to his enemy that he does to his friend. Ab- 
solute impartiality should govern his decision. Of 
course no judge can please all exhibitors, as the 
better animals will win and the inferior ones will 
always lose. But if a judge who understands his 



220 Sheep Management. 

business gives all concerned a square deal, not 
much criticism will follow his work. The judge 
who has rated the animals correctly can leave the 
fair grounds with a clear conscience and with a 
feeling that he has accorded justice to all. Differ- 
ence of opinion will always prevail, but on the 
whole general satisfaction attends the decisions of 
the capable judge. 



INDEX 



Abortion, due to frozen or mouldy 
feed, 35 
due to narrow doors, 
37 
Age, how to determine, 27 
Aeg of ram to use, 9 
Age of sheep to feed, 146 
Alfalfa may cause bloat, 120 
Alfalfa hay, 36 

for fattening sheep, 
161 

Barb wire, dangers from broken, 

21 
Barley for fattening, 159 
Barn for sheep in winter, 'M 
Bean straw for fattening, 161 
Beet pulp, dried, for fattening, 158 

wet, for fattening, 163 
Blanketing show sheep, 192 
Blindness, due to cold wind, 43 
Bloat in sheep, 120 

remedy for, 121 
Block winners, selecting, 214 
Blue grass hay, 36 
Bran for fattening, 159 
Breed, value of, in the flock, 4 
Breeding the ewes, 11 
Breeding class, selection for, 181 
Burdocks and sandburs, 140 

Cabbage for fall and winter feed- 
ing, 133 

Caked udders, 58 

Carcass, prize winning, 215 

Carrying small sheep and lambs, 
23. 

Castrating lambs, 75 

Catching the sheep, 21 

Chilled lambs, 50 

Cleanliness, value of, 150 

Clippers for trimming feet, 102 



Clover hay, 36 

for fattening sheep, 
161 
Clover pasture may cause bloat, 

120 
Colic, or "stretches," 124 
Coloring show sheep, 192 
Constipation in lambs, 50 
Corn for fattening, 158 
Corn fodder, 36 
Corn silage, see Silage 
Cotton-seed meal for fattening, 

160 
Cowpea hay for fattening, 161 
Cow's milk for lambs, 69 
Creep, lamb, 65 
Culling the ewe flock, 137 
Culling the lamb flock, 138 

Dead furrows, danger from, 142 

Dipping, 88, 97 

Docking lambs, 77 

Dog problem, 3 

Doors, danger from narrow, 37 

Dorset ewes, care of, 171 

Dorset Horns for winter lambs, 

170 
Drainage, importance of, for sheep 

barn, 37 
Drenching sheep, 113 
Dried beet pulp for fattening, 158 
Drying up ewes, 86 

Ear label, 72 

Emmer for fattening, 160 

Ewe flock, the, 17 

Ewes, assisting in lambing, 52 

care of, at breeding time, 
139 

care of newly lambed, 51 

care of, after weaning, 84 

culling the, 137 



222 



Sheep Management. 



Ewes — Cont. 

drying up the, 86 

exercise for, in winter, 39, 

44 
feed for, after lambing, 57 
flushing out, after lambing, 

57 
flushing the, 134 
gestation period of, 43 
grade or pure-bred, 17 
grain for, in winter, 33 
number of, to one ram, 15 
shearing before or after 

lambing, 96 
succulent feeds for, 34 
tagging, at lambing time, 59 
time to breed, 139 
Examining the teeth, 27 
Exercise, importance of, for 
ewes, 39, 44 
for show sheep, 185, 
210 
little, for fattening 
sheep, 155 

Fairs, judging sheep at, 217 
Fattening, age of sheep to feed 
for, 146 
for market, 145 
grain for, 158 
principles of, 149 
roughages for, 160 
shelter necessary for, 

157 
succulent feeds for, 
161 
Fat wethers, see Wethers 
Feeders, age of, 146 

selection of, 147 
Feed for ewe after lambing, 57 
Feed for the ram, 16 
Feeding for market, 145 
Feeding, order of, 153 

principles of, 149 
Feet trimming, 100 
Field peas for fattening, 160 
Field peas, grazing on, 161 
Fitting breeding class, time to 
start, 183 



Fitting sheep for show ring, 177 

Fitting wethers for shows, 197 

Fleece, tying up the, 93 

Flock, establishing the, 1 

management of the, 19 
small, for beginners, 2 

Flushing out the ewe after lamb- 
ing, 57 

Flushing the ewes, 134 

Foot-rot, 102 

Founder, danger of, 211 

remedy for, 213 

Full mouth, 31 

Gentleness, importance of, 149 

Gestation period of ewes, 43 

Grading up flock, 5 

Grain for ewes in winter, 33 
fattening, 158 
the ram, 16 
young lambs, 68 

Grain trough for lambs, 67 

old sheep, 67 

Grub in the head, 116 

prevention, 118 

Hand coupling, 11 

Hand feeding or self-feeders, 157 

Hay, alfalfa, 36 

blue grass, 36 

clover, 36 

marsh, 36 

timothy, 36 
Hay for fattening, 161 
Hay rack, 67 
Heat of ewes, time, 13 

Inflammation of the eyes, 43 
udder, 58 

Judging sheep at fairs, 217 
Judgment in feeding, 154 

Labor required by sheep, 1 
Lamb, almost lifeless, reviving, 
49 

chilled, 50 

ram, using for breeding, 9 
Lamb creep, 65 
Lambing, assisting the ewe in, 52 



Indev. 



223 



Lambing pens, 39 

Lambing time, 45 

Lambs, adopted, 51 
weak, 48 
castrating, 75 
cow's milk for, 69 
culling the, 138 
disowned, 48 
docking, 77 
feed for young, 61 
grain for young, 68 
grain trough for, 67 
make best gains, 146 
marking, 72 
raising by hand, 70, 71 
selecting the good, 64 
weaning, 83 
when to market, 164 
winter, 167 

Leading the sheep, 23 

Legume hay for fattening, 161 

Lice, 97 

Lifeless lamb, reviving, 49 

Lifting small sheep, 23 

Linseed meal for fattening, 160 

Lips, opening the, to determine 
age, 30 

Maggots, 125 

cause, 128 
prevention, 128 
treatment, 129 

Mangels dangerous to rams and 
wethers, 133 

Manure, value of sheep, 2 

Market, time to, 164 

Marking lambs, 72 

Marsh hay, poor for sheep, 36, 
161 

Medicine, administering, 113 

Medicines helpful to the flock- 
master, 123 

Milk, cow's, for young lambs, 69 

Narrow door, danger from, 37 

Oat- and pea-hay, 36 

Oat hay, 36 

Oats for fattening, 158 



Oat straw, 36 
Overheating, 211 

Parasites, prevention and treat- 
ment of, 105 

Patience, importance of, 149 

Pea-cannery refuse, 161 

Peas, grazing on field, 161 

Pea straw for fattening, 161 

Pens, lambing, 39 

Percentage of lambs, increasing, 
136 

Period of gestation, 43 

Pinchers for docking, 80 

Points of good ewes, 17 

Points of a good ram, 7 

Punctuality, value of, 151 

Pure-bred ram, importance of, 4 

Raising lambs, 61 
Ram, age to use, 9 
care in fall, 11 
care in summer, 10 
care in winter, 16 
feed for, 16 
field, for breeding, 9 
number of ewes to one, 15 
painting, on brisket, 13 
points of a good, 7 
saving vitality of, 13 
scrub, unprofitable, 4 
selection of, 5 
show, for breeding, 9 
sugar beets and mangels 

dangerous for, 17, 133 
turning with ewes, 11 
using a lamb, 9 
value of pure-bred, 1, 7 
Rape, value of, 131 
Reducing show sheep, 195 
Reviving almost lifeless lambs, 
49 
chilled lambs, 50 
Roots, danger from frozen, 36 
for ewes, 31 

for fall and winter feed- 
ing, 133 
for fattening, 161 
Roughage for winter, 36 



224 



Sheep Management. 



Roughages for fattening, 160 
Rutabages for fall and winter 
feeding, 133 

Salt, necessity of, 139 
Sandburs and burdocks, 140 
Scrub ram unprofitable, 4 
Setting a sheep on its rump, 25 
Self-feeders or hand-feeding, 157 
Shearing, 89 
Shearing ewes before or after 

lambing, 96 
Shearing machine, 91 
Shearing sheep, cruelty in, 19 
Sheep barn, 37 

Sheep economical meat produc- 
ers, 1 
Sheep husbandry, advantages of, 2 
Shelter for ewes in winter, 41 
fattening sheep, 157 
show sheep, 194 
Shipping, crowding in cars dan- 
gerous, 167 
how to feed before, 166 
Showing sheep, 177 
Show rams for breeding, 9 
Show sheep, blanketing, 192 
classes of, 180 
coloring, 192 
feed for, 184 
reducing after fairs, 

195 
shelter for, 194 
training for ring, 

193 
trimming feet of, 
195 
Silage, corn, danger from moldy, 
35 
for ewes, 35 
for fattening, 161 
frozen, dangerous, 
35 
Sore sheaths, 125, 210 
Sore teats, 59 
Sore teeth, 26 

Soy beans for fattening, 161 
Speltz for fattening, 160 
Stretches, or colic, 124 



Succulent feeds for ewes, 34 

for fattening, 161 
Sugar beets dangerous to rams 

and wethers, 133 
Summer feeding and care, 131 

Tagging ewes at lambing time, 59 

Tank for dipping, 99 

Teats, sore, 59 

Teeth, age determined by, 27 

changes in, 31 

milk, 29 

permanent, 29 

sore, 26 
Timothy hay poor for sheep, 36, 

161 
Tri mining sheep for show ring, 

193 
Trimming show sheep, 186 
Trimming sheep, a help in, 191 
Trimming wether lambs, 213 
Trimming the feet, 100 
Trimming feet of show sheep, 195 
Triplets, 45 
Tunis sheep, 171 

Turnips for fall and winter feed- 
ing, 133 
Twin lambs, 45 
Tying up fleece, 93 

Udders, caked, 58 

inflamed, 58 

Weaning the lambs, 83 
Weeds, destroyed by sheep, 1 
Wet beet pulp for fattening, 163 
Wether lambs, danger of founder- 
ing, 210 
fitting, 210 
trimming, 213 
Wethers, age to show, 202 

best class to fit, 203 
feeding, 204 
fitting for shows, 197 
fitting yearling, 207 
grain mixture for, 204 
points of block winners. 
214 



Index. 



225 



Wethers — Cont. 

selecting block winners, 

214 
selecting for shows, 200 
shearing, 202 
sole sheath, 12.") 
sugar beets and man- 
gels dangerous for, 133 
Wheat for fattening, 160 
Wheat screenings for fattening, 
158 



Wide doors, necessity of, in barn, 
37 

Winter care of ram, 16 

Winter grain for ewe flock, 33 

Winter lambs, 107 

care of Dorset 

ewes, 171 
feeding the, 173 
profits from, 174 

Winter quarters, 37 

Winter roughage, 36 

Wool box, 95 



OCT 1 191 1 



One copy del. to Cat. Div. 



OCT 



